Marriage Italian Style (1964)
"Matrimonio all'italiana" (original title)

Domenico, a successfull businessman, with an eye for the girls, begins an affair with Filumena when she is 17 years old. She becomes a prostitute, but also becomes the mistress of Domenico.... See full summary »

Director:

Vittorio De Sica

Writers:

Eduardo De Filippo (play), Renato Castellani (screenplay),

Stars:

Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Aldo Puglisi

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sophia Loren	...	Filumena Marturano
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Domenico Soriano
Aldo Puglisi	...	Alfredo
Tecla Scarano	...	Rosalia
Marilù Tolo	...	Diana (as Marilu' Tolo)
Gianni Ridolfi	...	Umberto
Generoso Cortini	...	Michele
Vito Moricone	...	Riccardo
Rita Piccione	...	Teresina, seamstress
Lino Mattera
Alfio Vita	...	Una pasticcere
Alberto Castaldi	...	(as Alberto Gastaldi)
Anna Santoro
Enza Maggi	...	Lucia, maid
Mara Marilli

Storyline

Domenico, a successfull businessman, with an eye for the girls, begins an affair with Filumena when she is 17 years old. She becomes a prostitute, but also becomes the mistress of Domenico. He eventually sets her up in an apartment, and she works for him in his various businesses. She secretly bears three children, who are raised by nannys. Domenico starts planning to marry a young employee. Filumena tricks him into marriage by pretending to be dying. Domenico annuls the marriage. Filumena then tells him of the three children. She says that one of the children belongs to Domenico, but will not say which one is his. You start to believe that all of the children could be his, and Domenico then marries Filumena again, this time willingly.

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | brothel | mistress | apartment | bakery | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

20 December 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Marriage Italian Style

Filming Locations:

Naples, Campania, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Compagnia Cinematografica Champion, Les Films Concordia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

Quotes

Filumena Marturano: [subtitled version] The problem is that our hearts used to be so big...
[holds up pebble]
Filumena Marturano: and now look how small they are.

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Connections

Referenced in Bewitched: Marriage Witch's Style (1969)

User Reviews

Brilliant film by Vittorio de Sica mixing drama and comedy.

Naples. W.W. II. "Filomena Maturano" (Sophia Loren) is a beautiful young woman who is alone in the world and works in a brothel, as there is another way of living. That's where he met "Domenico Soriano" (Marcello Mastroianni), better known as "Don Mimi", a wealthy bourgeois who retires from the profession and takes her to live in his house.

Brilliant film by Vittorio de Sica, notable for sensitive issues such as illicit relations between unmarried persons, the sad plight of women who were forced into prostitution for survival, safe motherhood, being married... Sophia Loren shines like few times in his career, in a splendid paper, full of strength, vigor, boldness, tenderness, toughness, and above all fight to preserve their dignity as a human being and a woman. The confrontation between her and actor Marcello Mastroianni also great is explosive, this couple's relationship, marked by ups and downs, storm and calm, semi-abandoned it (which is always traveling) and the longing of "Filomena" that "Domenico" decides to marry her and make a lady.

The film does not judge or condemn, only shows us vividly of the facts involved in development. It is a film designed to provoke tears or laughter easy. It mixes drama and comedy, the plot takes us through its unique Italian style that at times manages to surprise us with its freshness and lack of false modesty, which is appreciated. The more the film progresses, the more we go catching, reaching their zenith in the second half.

Italy was the forerunner of still images into movies to give the appearance of photographs and this technique has been well used in this film. This film is inspired by sources of neorealism, and the combination worked and drama-comedy was a success was overwhelming.