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DIVORCE ITALIAN STYLE (1961)
Directed by: Pietro Germi.
Produced by: Franco Cristaldi.
Written by: Ennio De Concini, Pietro Germi & Alfredo Giannetti.
Director of Photography: Leonida Barboni.
Edited by: Roberto Cinquini.
Music by: Carlo Rustichelli.
Released by: Criterion.
Language: Italian with English subtitles.
Country of Origin: Italy. 104 min. Not Rated.
With: Marcello Mastroianni, Daniela Rocca, Stefania Sandrelli & Leopoldo Trieste.
DVD Features: "Pietro Germi: The Man with the Cigar in His Mouth," a 39-minute documentary by critic & filmmaker Mario Sesti. "Delighting in Contrasts," a 30-minute interviews featuring Stefania Sandrelli, Lando Buzzanca, & Mario Sesti. Screen-tests of actresses Daniela Roca & Sandrelli. A new essay by film critic Stuart Klawans & reprinted pieces by director Martin Scorsese & film historian Andrew Sarris. English subtitles.

In the Southern Italian town of Agramonte, divorce is not only illegal, it's inconceivable. So what should Baron Ferdinando "Fefe" Cefalù (Marcello Mastoianni) do about his pestering wife, Rosalia (Daniela Rocca)? The more Rosalia yearns for his love and comfort, the more abominable being married to her becomes. Adding to his agony is Fefe's true love, his 16-year-old cousin Angela (Stefania Sandrelli), who lives across the garden from Fefe. When Fefe reads in the newspaper that a woman from another Sicilian town has killed her disloyal husband in the "heat of passion," he finds the solution to ending a marriage without getting divorced.

From here, director Pietro Germi leads us through a tragic, yet hysterical satire predicated on the absurdity of the Italian law, Sicilian morality, and above all, the irony of love and shame. This captivating black comedy is meticulously balanced with a shot of tragedy. It is still as clever and funny today as it was over 40 years ago.

DVD Extras: Mario Sesti's short documentary, "The Man With A Cigar In His Mouth," is composed of interviews with Pietro Germi's friends and close coworkers. Although they share the intimate experiences of working with Germi, not one of them seems to have been close enough to fully understand him. This is, in a sense, the theme of this piece. As much as a testimony to Germi's genius, his meticulousness, and his remarkable ability to direct, the interviews also converge as a fascinating psychological inquiry into the mind of Germi. In this vein, the documentary contains some captivating stories of working with Germi. There is also a mosaic of interviews that specifically reflect on the experience of making Divorce, Italian Style. Mario Sesti emphasizes that Germi "tended to cultivate the image of himself" as an "isolated, ill-tempered, unsociable loner, sometimes drowning in his own malaise." The stories shared by Stefania Sandrelli, Lando Buzzanca and Ennio De Concini strongly back that observation. Timothy Small
July 25, 2005