To fully appreciate the international box-office bonanza Divorce, Italian Style (Divorzio All'Italiana), one must remember that back in 1962, divorce was illegal in Italy. Ferdinando Cefalú(Marcello Mastroianni) would love to unload his demanding, sex-starved, monumentally unappealing wife, Rosalia (Daniela Rocca), but he can't take the legal means open to his American counterparts. Ferdinando can, however, kill off his wife and receive a light sentence...provided he catches the lady committing
adultery. The trick now is to make his plate-of-potatoes spouse attractive enough so that some other man will accommodate Ferdinando by cuckolding him. Divorce, Italian Style not only cleaned up financially, but also won several international film awards, as well as an Oscar nomination for Marcello Mastroianni. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Skillfully written, with a penetrating, almost brutal glimpse of Sicily and its antiquated way of life, it has been directed by Pietro Germi with lagless pace and consistent incisiveness, evoking constant chuckles rather than isolated guffaws.
It is the most subversive jab at Mastrioanni's chauvinist characters possible, circumstantial metaphysics in which the lecher is targeted by the very film he inhabits.
This movie is really hilarious, and Mastroianni gives a perfect performance. The story is good, this movie is a great dark comedy, and I love it. They later made an American version of it, Divorce American Style, which wasn't as funny. I recommend this movie instead.
No quotes approved yet for Divorzio all'Italiana (Divorce Italian Style). Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'Divorzio all'Italiana (Divorce Italian Style)'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
Top Critic
