"Sunday Woman" is a stylish and ribald whodunnit that has plenty of things to hold your attention when you're frankly not particularly interested in who did it or why. The murder victim is a lewd, leering, seedy old architect who makes obscene gestures at women, like a character out of Fellini's "Satyricon." His body is found bludgeoned to death by means of a large ceramic phallus. "Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword," a character in the film comments. The inspector on the case is a bemused but persistent Marcello Mastroianni. His investigations bring him in contact with some of Turin's high society: Jacqueline Bisset, the bored wife of an industrialist, and her platonic friend Jean-Louis Trintignant, a wealthy homosexual. Trintignant is himself in love with Aldo Reggiani, a records clerk who does his own investigation which leads to his own murder. The film has a nice rhythm, some well-written dialog, and makes use of fascinating Piedmontese locales in and around Turin. Mastroianni, as always, is very effective. The director, Luigi Comencini, gained a substantial reputation in the past with films like "Bread, Love and Dreams" and "Everybody Go Home!"
Review of The Sunday Woman
