Divorzio all'Italiana (Divorce Italian Style) poster & wallpaper
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Marcello Mastroianni, Daniela Rocca, Stefania Sandrelli, Leopoldo Trieste, Margherita Girelli ... see more see more... , Odoardo Spadaro , Angela Cardile , Antoni Acqua , Lando Buzzanca , Bianca Castagnetta , Laura Tomiselli , Pietro Tordi , Ugo Torrente , Antonio Acqua , Daniela Igliozzi , Edy Nogara , Peitro Tordi , Renato Pinciroli

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 M... read more read more...astroianni) 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, Rovi

Flixster Users

90% liked it

4,574 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

17 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 44 min.

Directed by: Pietro Germi

Release Date: September 17, 1962

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DVD Release Date: April 26, 2005

 

Stats: 274 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (274)

  • ajv2688
    April 17, 2011
    ajv2688
    This movie is really hilarious, and Mastroianni gives a perfect performance. The story is good, this movie is a great dark comedy, and I love it. They later made an American version of it, Divorce American Style, which wasn't as funny. I recommend this movie instead.
  • kenstachnik
    July 3, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Great great dark comedy from Germi.

    Marcello Mastroianni gives a jaw dropping performance
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    November 26, 2007
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    One of Mastroianni's best performances, and a new favorite of mine. Dark Comedy at it's finest.
  • binky013
    April 2, 2007
    binky013
    Mastroianni execising his comedic muscles. A very funny film about the decline and fall of the Italian aristocracy, including murder, incest, revenge, alcoholism, and electronic surveillance. How interesting here to showcase the controversial release of La Dolce Vita, a ... read morefilm in which Mostroianni is actually incapable of love, and which, in a not-at-all funny way, focuses as well on the dissolution of Italian society.
  • gator681
    November 1, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]In "Divorce, Italian Style," Ferdinando(Marcello Mastroianni) is a 37-year old baron of a once noble household, now impoverished by his father's(Odoardo Spadaro) gambling. Due to his uncle(Ugo Torrente) taking over the debts, he has moved his own family into... read more the opposite wing of the family mansion. This is not all that saddens Ferdinando as his once lovely wife Rosalia(Daniela Rocca) has not aged gracefully at all. In fact, he is looking to trade up to a younger model, in this case his 16-year old cousin Angela(Stefania Sandrelli) who to his pleasant surprise reciprocates his love. Now, he can think of nothing but killing his wife and has gone so far as to concoct a plan...[/font]

    [font=Century Gothic]"Divorce, Italian Style" is a very entertaining and unpredictable black comedy of manners with a satirical edge. The divorce of the title is never mentioned as it was probably seriously frowned upon, if not impossible, in conservative Sicily where the movie is set. Actually, if not for contemporary references, this would definitely feel like a period piece. Young women's purity is paramount and the Church rails impotently against "La Dolce Vita"(a weird reference under the circumstances) as being filth. Well, I have only seen the first two hours, so who knows? So, with divorce out of the question, what is somebody like Ferdinando, loathsome as he is, supposed to do?[/font]
  • fb20312798
    September 1, 2007
    fb20312798
    One of the best comedies ever! This brilliant satire Italian Men and their attitudes toward women is one film that you shouldn't miss!
  • pishpishposh
    May 12, 2010
    pishpishposh
    What a great italian black comedy! At times it had small doses of slapstick, but it doesn't go towards the direction of a Marx Brothers or Harold & Lloyd film. Ferdinando Cefalù (Marcello Mastroianni) is tired of his wife Rosalia (Daniela Rocca) and his marriage. Frankly, he doe... read moresn't love her anymore because he is absolutely enamoured with the adolescent Angela (Stefania Sandrelli). In the small town he lives in, divorce is prohibited and not allowed, but there is an unconventional law that makes it legal to kill a cheating spouse if there is evidence of them committing adultery. In his desperation to get rid of her, he starts plotting her murder himself but decides the jail time isn't worth it so he shift methods and decides to buy her a sexy black dress in order to lure and seduce other men. Just like in most dark comedies, there are inevitable twists through out. There are also some rich cultural references and taboos regarding sex and marriage in Italy at the time including a scene of a screening of La Dolce Vita which caused much controversy. I've only seen a dramatic Mastroianni in Fellini's films, but here he shows that he also had comedic talent with no gags or clumsy falls needed. Take the time to see this if you want something entertaining and some good laughs.

View All Divorzio all'Italiana (Divorce Italian Style) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Andrew O'Hehir
November 8, 2007
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

Years ahead of its time. Full Review

Nick Pinkerton
November 6, 2007
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice

[A] deeply amoral morality tale. Full Review

Variety Staff
November 6, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

Skillfully written, with a penetrating, almost brutal glimpse of Sicily and its antiquated way of life, it has been directed by Pietro Germi with lagless pace and consistent incisiveness, evoking cons... Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 20, 2003
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

This is one of the funniest pictures the Italians have sent along. Full Review

Dave Kehr
January 16, 2002
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

It remains a terrific entertainment, a European corollary to Preston Sturges. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
April 17, 2011
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Mastroianni, who was Oscar-nominated, truly shines in this wildly funny, darkly humorous Italian comedy, which was a huge international hit. Full Review

Loey Lockerby
November 7, 2008
Loey Lockerby, Kansas City Star

If you're in the mood for a cynical, time-traveling Italian vacation, you couldn't do much better than this.

November 6, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A brilliant comic performance from Mastroianni which has been compared to the deadpan style of Keaton. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
June 15, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Wickedly funny black comedy satirizes Italy's antiquated institutions. Full Review

Matt Brunson
May 6, 2005
Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing

Murder has rarely been as mirthful (cinematically speaking, of course) as in this uproarious Italian comedy. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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