Divorce Italian Style

Marcello Mastroianni stars in director Pietro Germi's wickedly funny classic as a decadent Sicilian aristocrat who is bored with life, and much more so with his wife (Daniela Rocca). Ferdinando's roving eye settles on his beautiful 16-year-old cousin (Stefania Sandrelli), and coveting her purity and innocence, he sets out to change spouses. Italian law won't allow a divorce, but our amoral protagonist observes that authorities are lenient toward husbands who kill unfaithful wives in matters of "honor." And so he decides his first step is to find his wife a lover. Winner of an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, this terrifically entertaining satire also earned a "Best Actor" Oscar nomination for Mastroianni, and it remained one of his greatest roles. Shown in a new 35mm print. In Italian with English subtitles. With Leopoldo Trieste. Writers: Ennio De Concini, Pietro Germi, Alfredo Giannetti. Director: Pietro Germi. (Italy 1961) 105 min.

Co-presented by Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco