DIVORCE ITALIAN STYLE
Italy, 1961, 105 minutes, Black and white.
Marcello Mastroianni, Daniela Rocca, Stefania Sandrelli, Leopoldo Trieste.
Directed by Pietro Germi.
Pietro Germi wrote and directed quite a number of satirical Italian films. He followed this film with Seduced and Abandoned and The Birds, the Bees and the Italians. In 1972 he directed Dustin Hoffman in Alfredo, Alfredo.
The point of this film is about divorce in Italy, especially in hot-blooded Sicily. Marcello Mastroianni (between making La Dolce Vita and 8½) is a baron who is married but wants to get rid of his wife and marry his cousin. He decides that the lesser of two evils given the legislation in Italy is the murder of his wife.
The film is satirical in its critique of Sicilians, the way of life in a Sicilian town – a way that Italians respond to divorce legislation.
Marcello Mastroianni was to join with Sophia Loren a few years later in Marriage Italian Style as well as Yesterday, Today and Forever. The screenplay was written by writer-director Ennio di Concini whose writing credits include one hundred and sixty-one entries. However, he directed only four films including Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973) with Alec Guinness. He won the Oscar for best original screenplay for Divorce Italian Style.
1. How successful a comedy was this? The irony of the title and Italian divorce in the 60s? The tone and propaganda value of this film in Italy in the sixties, with discussion about divorce? Would the film make such an impact after divorce was allowed by law?
2. How well does the film stand as a social comment and satire on personalities and things Italian? As presenting the obvious characteristics of Italians and ridiculing them? Harshly, gently? How well did the film do this in its structure: Ferdinando’s plight, his imaginative murders, his imagined trial and the fulfilment of his hopes?
3. How was Ferdinando meant to be the typical Italian male? Marcello Mastroianni’s performance? How successful was he in this performance? Typical arrogance, plans, even mannerisms, twitches? How was Rosalia presented as the model Italian wife? Her silliness? Her role in the home, attitudes towards sexuality and marriage The fact that she was unfaithful?
4. How was Angela presented, as the typical Italian heroine? The romantic lady of dreams? Innocence? The irony of her less than innocence at the end?
5. How were Italian families with their styles and conventions satirised in the film? The role of the father, the fights in the families? Agnese and her primness, Rosario, the maid? Which details of the film best illustrated this satire?
6. How was the town also satirised? Its customs, its religious overtones, the churches, the sermons, everybody going to see La Dolce Vita? the communist party ads? What picture of Italian way of life did the film give? What is attractive? What is not so attractive?
7. How important were the traditions in Sicily? The fact that the laws were on the books but traditions of honour held the day? What judgment did the film make on these traditions? What do non-Italians think of these traditions? The implications for the imagined trial and Ferdinando’s plans, for the actual court case?
8. How comical was Ferdinando’s plan for choosing potential lovers for his wife? The choir man, the return by the lover and his being returned by Ferdinando for the frescos? How much malice was there in Ferdinando or did he think he was above all evil?
9. Comment on the comedy styles of the situations with Carmelo - the mocking of Italian deception, love, marriage and divorce?
11. How successful was the humour in the foiling of the plans? The anonymous letters, ignoring Angela’s letter?
The impact of the trial and Ferdinando’s getting a lenient sentence?
12. Ferdinando’s return home and the future?
13. What were the real implications of the film? How many of these were spelt out in the film? The comment on Italian males, comment on Italian women? How much does Italy need reform according to this film?
