Divorce, Italian Style

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Kevin L This turned out to be much more entertaining that it seemed at first. I was afraid it might just be too outright silly to stick with. Mastroianni's character was ridiculous, but that was key to the comedy of it all. It was that blend of the ludicrous, self-absorbed husband and the ruthless, conniving man that balanced out the character. It added comic relief to the movie in general, but also affected how we see Ferdinand/Fefe. If you can laugh at the man with the sinister plan, he gets some empathy. And we all wanna laugh. It's the actor as I'd never seen him. Rocca was good, too, as his clingy wife who got little more than the cold shoulder from Fefe. But who can blame him, in a way? She's mondo annoying at times; and then the facial hair. Good work by director and co-writer Pietro Germi. This was a man who knew the effect of a good cuckolding in Italian society. That's also played up for comical effect. 3.4 stars Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/25 Full Review Gracie C As of this review, the current Internet trend is girl math vs. boy math. This film is an exceptional example of boy math. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/18/23 Full Review laurent b Mastroianni is so funny and inventive. This comedy is pure joy ! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review steve d A really unpleasant film. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Marcello Mastroianni virtually disappears into the character of a Sicilian Don/Baron who wants to escape his cloying wife in order to pursue his teenage cousin (bear with me, as this is satire) - however, Italian law does not allow divorce (in 1961). The law does allow a husband who discovers his wife in flagrante delicto to kill her. So, the Baron embarks on a campaign to find his wife an illicit lover (after fantasizing about other ways she might die). Of course, things do not go entirely to plan. Yes, this is a very black comedy and perhaps a distasteful one in this day-and-age; however, the Baron is far from a hero and the aging Lothario that he (and other Sicilian elders) imagines himself to be is ridiculed here. Along the way, director Pietro Germi takes pot-shots at Italian society and norms (for example, the prohibition on sex before marriage). There is a great nearly self-referential moment when the Baron finds that his wife is going to have her tryst during the opening of Fellini's La Dolce Vita which was then scandalizing Italy with its sexual frankness (of course, it starred Mastroianni). The film dazzles in its cinematography and production design - sharp black-and-white and beautiful Sicilian locales. Did I mention that the entire plot appears to be a flashback (with flashbacks within the flashback)? Really this is a masterpiece of comic timing and characterizations. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member You know how in America, divorce is a mutual agreement to dissolve a contract of cohabitation? Well in Italy, divorce is deciding that you'd rather be with your sixteen year old cousin instead of the woman you spent the last fifteen years married to, so you trick your wife into cheating on you so the judge will be more lenient with your sentencing after you shoot her to death. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Divorce, Italian Style

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