Two of Italy’s greatest stars play three very different couples across three cities in this fast-moving anthology from Vittorio De Sica (Bicycle Thieves, Two Women).
In Adelina of Naples, Sophia Loren plays a woman desperate to avoid jail by continually have children, to the exhaustion of her husband (Marcello Mastroianni). In Anna of Milan, she plays a super-rich woman having a tumultuous affair. In Mara of Rome, she’s a sex worker, he’s a frustrated regular client.
While each section has moments of magic, it’s the final tale that is the most famous, with Mastroianni howling like a wolf as Loren strips, in a surprisingly raunchy scene for the era. While some of the humour is of its time, the two leads keep the comedy fresh and funny. The film won the Oscar® for best foreign language film, while Mastroianni won a BAFTA®.
Curated by the Barbican as part of Comedy Genius, a nationwide celebration of comedy on screen, led by BFI, the Independent Cinema Office and BFI Film Audience network, supported by funds from the National Lottery. For more screenings go to bficomedy.co.uk #bficomedy
