Divorzio all'italiana

The Sicilian baron Ferdinando Cefalù (Marcello Mastroianni) is tired of his wife Rosalia (Daniela Rocca) and would like to marry his 16-year-old cousin Angela (Stefania Sandrelli) instead. Since Italian marriage law does not provide for divorce, he tries to drive Rosalia into the arms of her childhood sweetheart. If he is able to catch them in flagrante, he will be able to kill Rosalia to save his honor, hope for a lenient sentence in court and then marry Angela after a manageable prison term. Pietro Germi's satirical comedy about Italian marriage law, which did not introduce the possibility of divorce until 1970, was an award-winning global success and led to the coining of the term Commedia all'italiana. Mastroianni received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his performance as a mannered fop with a cigarette holder and brilliantine in his otherwise frizzy hair. (hjf)