Search - Divorzio all-italiana on DVD

Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Humor, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1962 Format: DVD SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Studio: 20th Century Fox Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Comedy, Satire, Domestic Comedy See Also: Divorce Italian Style, Divorce, Italian Style [Criterion Collection]

To fully appreciate the international box-office bonanza Divorce, Italian Style (Divorzio All'Italiana), one must remember that back in 1962, divorce was illegal in Italy. Ferdinando Cefalú(Marcello Mastroianni) would love to unload his demanding, sex-starved, monumentally unappealing wife, Rosalia (Daniela Rocca), but he can't take the legal means open to his American counterparts. Ferdinando can, however, kill off his wife and receive a light sentence...provided he catches the lady committing adultery. The trick now is to make his plate-of-potatoes spouse attractive enough so that some other man will accommodate Ferdinando by cuckolding him. Divorce, Italian Style not only cleaned up financially, but also won several international film awards, as well as an Oscar nomination for Marcello Mastroianni. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Marcello Mastroianni - Ferdinando
Daniela Rocca - Rosalia
Stefania Sandrelli - Angela
Leopoldo Trieste - Carmelo Patane
Margherita Girelli - Sisina
Odoardo Spadaro - Don Gaetano

Hen's Tooth Video may have botched the American DVD release of Pietro Germi's Divorce, Italian Style, but the Italian division of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment got it right in the movie's country of origin -- got it right and then some, with lots of extras and a stunning source print. The film has been transferred in such detail that the finest lines in some of the wide shots shimmer at the upper limit of ordinary television resolution, and in the night scene at six minutes in, there's usable picture information all over the screen, even though it's a realistic night shot. The movie is mastered to the non-anamorphic aspect ratio of 1.85:1, which shows the degree to which Germi packed every corner of the screen with important picture information. One can see the sweat glistening off of Marcello Mastroianni's brow in the heat of the afternoon (and the distress that the sweat also reflects) in the two-shot with Daniela Rocca at 14 minutes in, but also the grey hair in Rocca's hand at the other end of the screen. Other details are also clear, such as the full width of the distinctly horizontal-oriented fantasy image of Rocca at the cauldron of lye, and the gorgeously worn, old decor of Mastroianni's home is also on full display, presenting the full value of the care taken by the production designer. The audio is also in very nice condition, mastered very cleanly and at a decent volume, which brings out the humor and passion of Carlo Rustichelli's score. Otherwise, the 101-minute movie has been given 20 chapters, and comes with a brace of bonus materials -- alas, all of them in Italian without subtitles -- which include an interview with Pietro Germi from the early '60s and contemporary interviews with surviving cast and crew members; screen tests and outtakes of Stefania Sandrelli and Daniela Rocca, original art and still photography; a short history of Cristaldifilm, the original production company; and a montage of scenes from other films produced by the company that are available on DVD as of 2004. The disc opens automatically to a three-layer menu that is fairly easy to maneuver around, and which keeps the bonus materials all within the same third layer. The subtitles must be activated by the subtitle control on the player's remote, rather than directly off the menu. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide