Divorce, Italian Style [2 Discs] [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

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 Cefalu(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, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 2
• Subtitle: Eng
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Features:
  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • The Man With a Cigar in His Mouth, a 39-minute documentary by critic and filmmaker Mario Sesti featuring interviews with Germi's longtime friends and collaborators
  • Delighting in Contrasts, a new 30-minute collection of interviews with Sesti and actors Lando Buzzanca and Stefania Sandrelli discussing Germi on the set of Divorce Italian Style
  • An interview with screenwriter Ennio De Concini
  • Rare screen-test footage of actors Stefania Sandrelli and Daniela Rocca
  • Plus: a 28-page booklet featuring a new essay by film critic Stuart Klawans and reprinted pieces by director Martin Scorsese and film historian Andrew Sarris

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Original Screenplay - 1962 (Alfredo Giannetti, Ennio de Concini, Pietro Germi)
•     Nominated Best Actor - 1962 (Marcello Mastroianni)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1962 (Pietro Germi)

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Won Best Foreign Actor - 1963 (Marcello Mastroianni)
•     Nominated Best Film - Any Source - 1963 (Pietro Germi)

• Cannes Film Festival

•     Won Best Comedy - 1962

• Directors Guild of America

•     Nominated Best Director - 1962 (Pietro Germi)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comed - 1962 (Marcello Mastroianni)
•     Nominated Best Foreign Film - 1962

• National Board of Review

•     Nominated Best Foreign Film - 1962

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Marcello Mastroianni - Ferdinando
       Daniela Rocca - Rosalia
       Stefania Sandrelli - Angela
       Leopoldo Trieste - Carmelo Patane
       Margherita Girelli - Sisina
       Angela Cardile - Agnese
       Antoni Acqua - the Priest

• Director:

  Pietro Germi

• Producer:

  Franco Cristaldi

• Screenwriter:

  Ennio de Concini, Pietro Germi, Alfredo Giannetti

• Cinematographer:

  Leonida Barboni

• Composer (Music Score):

  Carlo Rustichelli

• Editor:

  Roberto Cinquini

• Production Designer:

  Carlo Egidi

• Costume Designer:

  Dina de Bari