Our main interest in watching this comedy was because Mario Monicelli directed it. Alas, the copy that turned up recently on a cable channel was not exactly the best. The film has a more British feeling than Italian, even though its main theme is based on perhaps an antiquated system in Italy where revenge is necessary to defend one's reputation and save the family's good name.
The action takes place in a small Sicilian town. Vincenzo Macaluso sends his gang to kidnap a young woman he wants to bed and make his. Unfortunately, they take Asunta, and not her cousin. Vincenzo, who cannot resist a beautiful woman, has his way with Asunta, against her will. In the morning, she tells Vincenzo he must marry her to save her from the town's ridicule. Unfortunately, he has other plans, and flees to Scotland.
Asunta goes after Vincenzo to get her revenge. She is always a step behind in getting to the scoundrel that deflowered her. Eventually, she lands in Bath, where she spots Vincenzo working at a local hospital. A kind doctor takes pity on her feeble attempts for dealing with the Sicilian man and ends up falling in love with her. When the opportunity to kill Vincenzo, Asunta takes a different approach in dealing with the low life she has been trailing all over England.
Mario Monicelli, a genius in his own right, might have been a bit out of his league working in England. The screenplay is not exactly what one might have expected from Ronald Harwood, the adapter, who up to that point had only worked on television. The screenplay by Luigi Magni and Rodolfo Sonego has some good moments, especially the scenes in Sicily in the opening sequence and in the flashbacks to the sort of "Greek Chorus" composed of the townspeople haunting Asunta's resolve to kill Vincenzo.
Monica Vitti, one of the leading actresses of the Italian cinema showed she had a knack for comedy. She is properly exaggerated as Asunta reacts to the English world around her. The great Carlo Giuffre appears as Vincenzo, a lady killer who finds his way into the hearts of English women. Stanley Baker shows toward the last part of the film.
The action takes place in a small Sicilian town. Vincenzo Macaluso sends his gang to kidnap a young woman he wants to bed and make his. Unfortunately, they take Asunta, and not her cousin. Vincenzo, who cannot resist a beautiful woman, has his way with Asunta, against her will. In the morning, she tells Vincenzo he must marry her to save her from the town's ridicule. Unfortunately, he has other plans, and flees to Scotland.
Asunta goes after Vincenzo to get her revenge. She is always a step behind in getting to the scoundrel that deflowered her. Eventually, she lands in Bath, where she spots Vincenzo working at a local hospital. A kind doctor takes pity on her feeble attempts for dealing with the Sicilian man and ends up falling in love with her. When the opportunity to kill Vincenzo, Asunta takes a different approach in dealing with the low life she has been trailing all over England.
Mario Monicelli, a genius in his own right, might have been a bit out of his league working in England. The screenplay is not exactly what one might have expected from Ronald Harwood, the adapter, who up to that point had only worked on television. The screenplay by Luigi Magni and Rodolfo Sonego has some good moments, especially the scenes in Sicily in the opening sequence and in the flashbacks to the sort of "Greek Chorus" composed of the townspeople haunting Asunta's resolve to kill Vincenzo.
Monica Vitti, one of the leading actresses of the Italian cinema showed she had a knack for comedy. She is properly exaggerated as Asunta reacts to the English world around her. The great Carlo Giuffre appears as Vincenzo, a lady killer who finds his way into the hearts of English women. Stanley Baker shows toward the last part of the film.