Forget Hepburn and Tracy. This is one of cinema's finest romantic duos ever. I've seen MARRIAGE Italian STYLE many, many times and I never get tired of its richness and complexity. I don't think of it as romantic at all. Domenico is quite the bastard. He cheats on Filumena, barely hiding his entitlement as a wealthy and spoiled Neopolitan man about town. He manipulates Filumena cruelly, turning her into his poorly paid bakery manager, housekeeper, and surrogate wife, abandoning her for the pleasures of out-of-town conquests, staying away for months at a time. He won't acknowledge her existence to his mother--god forbid. All the classic elements of the Italian male ego are in display and Mastroiani captures them all superbly. He also is a subtle and masterful comic and his exasperation with Filumena whenever he doesn't get his way is as funny as it is obvious. But it Sophia Loren at the peak of her physical and acting powers who is the center of his wonderful film. Filumena is tragically in love with Domenico and no matter how much he humiliates her, she cannot be free of him. Most women would have given up, not Filumena. And when Domenco is caught with the cashier of one of his cafés, Filumena devises a plan to trap him into marriage. The plan, executed with precision and the considerable personality of her household staff is a failure, but not before Filumena reveals that has three sons, which she has kept from him. Refusing to tell Domenico which of the young men is his son, Filumena eventually guarantees that he will remain with her for good. At the same time, he also realizes his days as a lady's man are numbered. He cannot completely give up the woman who has loved him unconditionally for twenty two years. Will their future be happily assured? I think Vittorio De Sica brilliantly leaves you wondering.
MARRIAGE Italian STYLE is a classic--a brilliant observation of a relationship between strong and willful people. Filumena's selfless devotion to Domenico is fun to watch, but it's even more fun when she explodes, matching her conniving lover negotiation for negotiation. Unlike many beautiful leading ladies, Loren is not afraid to deglamorize her utter gorgeousness in search of character. It's more than an Oscar-worthy performance. De Sica perfectly captures the quirks of the household staff--you never are in doubt about who's side they are on, the sharply telling personality of Domenico's whiny, dying mama, and the three boys are all perfectly cast. Mastroiani is superb. But it is Loren's film and you can't take your eyes off of her. The famous walk as every man's eyes turn on her magnificence, is riveting. Very few women have so gracefully projected sexiness as she does here. I'm sure I'l watch it ten more times!
MARRIAGE Italian STYLE is a classic--a brilliant observation of a relationship between strong and willful people. Filumena's selfless devotion to Domenico is fun to watch, but it's even more fun when she explodes, matching her conniving lover negotiation for negotiation. Unlike many beautiful leading ladies, Loren is not afraid to deglamorize her utter gorgeousness in search of character. It's more than an Oscar-worthy performance. De Sica perfectly captures the quirks of the household staff--you never are in doubt about who's side they are on, the sharply telling personality of Domenico's whiny, dying mama, and the three boys are all perfectly cast. Mastroiani is superb. But it is Loren's film and you can't take your eyes off of her. The famous walk as every man's eyes turn on her magnificence, is riveting. Very few women have so gracefully projected sexiness as she does here. I'm sure I'l watch it ten more times!