Marriage Italian Style

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Marriage Italian Style

Released Dec 20, 1964

1h 42m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

86%

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7 Reviews

84%

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1,000+ Ratings

When handsome, successful Domenico (Marcello Mastroianni) first meets the sexy young waif Filomena (Sophia Loren) in Naples during World War II, he is instantly smitten. Flash forward to the postwar years, and the two meet again, sparking a passionate affair that spans two decades. But when Filomena -- who has now become Domenico's kept woman and has secretly borne his children -- learns that her lover is planning to wed another, she stops at nothing to hook him into marrying her instead.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Vittorio De Sica (Bicycle Thieves) attacks the material with plenty of gusto, and presents us with the kind of viciously sparring paramours that had yet to become a Hollywood rom-com staple (from The Proposal to Anyone But You).

Rated: 5/5

Aug 20, 2025

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Keith Uhlich

Time Out

So-FEE-uh and Mar-CHELL-oh! That was surely the major draw for audiences who flocked to Vittorio De Sica’s frivolous, Oscar-nominated dramedy and it’s the only reason to see it now.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 21, 2011

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

What Mr. De Sica has constructed, with the help of a small army of script writers... is a rich and delicious confrontation of two ebullient and vivid characters, each exhibiting a while range of qualities and foibles of his or her sex.

Nov 4, 2003

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A. Fredric Franklyn

Los Angeles Free Press

De Sica's latest is tricky, thin and dishonest.

Feb 5, 2020

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Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

It's a romantic comedy every bit as delicious as something Howard Hawks might have concocted, with Loren and Mastroianni proving fine rivals for the likes of Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant.

Rated: 4/4

Aug 5, 2019

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

A good deal soapier and ultimately less satisfying than De Sica's previous collaboration with Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, but it's still effectively heart-rending.

May 20, 2011

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sam I

Sofia Loren . The good lord was showing off when he built her. The movie is soapy, but good. She is incredible to look at. Made it difficult for me to pay attention to the script. Spoken in Italian, with subtitles, which made it all the better to hear it in a beautiful language. Together with Mastroianni they were a pleasure to watch. She is talented, and beautiful. I enjoyed it as you can see.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/07/25

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helder f

It’s a good movie, with a sort of outdated story of a woman who’s taken for granted by a man for over 20 years until finally she tries to get her away. Loren and Mastroianni are great. And the movie has overall great performances and characters that are noteworthy and memorable. The story is a bit longwinded and the pace is a bit slow. The type of melodrama that wouldn’t sit well with current times, but the performances and the characters really make up for what the story’s shortcomings.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/23/24

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Madeline N

A romance it is not, but it is one hell of a love story. Despite the sprawling (one might even say bloated) plot, I stayed engaged, and left the theater feeling not just entertained, but even entirely satisfied. Indeed, as I write this, I am left to ponder: Where would the film/TV industry be without Italians and their family dysfunction?

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/07/24

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harwee h

A pretty pedestrian De Sica dramedy with fantastic performances from the Loren and Mastroianni

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/29/24

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Blobbo X

A great movie with both depth and heart. Five stars.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/12/23

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Audience Member

How extraordinary these two luminous stars of my childhood, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, appear against the backdrop of war-torn Italy and the evolving modern city. Could anything be so beautiful or ridiculous?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

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Vittorio De Sica

Director

Sophia Loren

Filumena Marturano

Marcello Mastroianni

Domenico Soriano

Aldo Puglisi

Alfredo

Tecla Scarano

Rosalia

Marilù Tolo

Diana

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Synopsis

When handsome, successful Domenico (Marcello Mastroianni) first meets the sexy young waif Filomena (Sophia Loren) in Naples during World War II, he is instantly smitten. Flash forward to the postwar years, and the two meet again, sparking a passionate affair that spans two decades. But when Filomena -- who has now become Domenico's kept woman and has secretly borne his children -- learns that her lover is planning to wed another, she stops at nothing to hook him into marrying her instead.

Director: Vittorio De Sica
Producer: Carlo Ponti
Screenwriter: Eduardo De Filippo, Renato Castellani, Tonino Guerra, Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi
Distributor: Emerging Pictures
Production Co: Compagnia Cinematografica Champion
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 20, 1964, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 23, 2011
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.0K
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Mono

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