The Birds, the Bees and the Italians (1966)
"Signore & signori" (original title)

A citizen of the Veneto in her sixties. Three stories of "love in the country": a pseudo Don Giovanni confesses his impotence to the doctor in confidence but he becomes betrayed by him - ... See full summary »

Director:

Pietro Germi

Writers:

Pietro Germi (story), Agenore Incrocci (screenplay),

Stars:

Virna Lisi, Gastone Moschin, Alberto Lionello

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Virna Lisi	...	Milena Zulian
Gastone Moschin	...	Osvaldo Bisigato
Alberto Lionello	...	Toni Gasparini
Olga Villi	...	Ippolita Gasparini
Beba Loncar	...	Noemi Castellan
Franco Fabrizi	...	Lino Bebedetti
Nora Ricci	...	Gilda Bisigato
Gigi Ballista	...	Giacinto Castellan
Gia Sandri	...	Betty Scodeler
Quinto Parmeggiani	...	Giovanni Soligo
Moira Orfei	...	Giorgetta Casellato
Aldo Puglisi	...	Carabiniere Mancuso
Gustavo D'Arpe	...	Scarabello
Alberto Rabagliati	...	Commend. Galeazzo Casellato
Patrizia Valturri	...	Alda Cristofoletto

Storyline

A citizen of the Veneto in her sixties. Three stories of "love in the country": a pseudo Don Giovanni confesses his impotence to the doctor in confidence but he becomes betrayed by him - the medic speaks about his patient with some befriend gossips; a bank employee, after a tormented affair with the young waitress of a bar, returns to be single - disappointed and made bitter; some boys exploit the gratitude of an ingenuous girl from the vicinity. Her father denunciates them but withdraws all efforts after getting a compensation and saves them from jail.

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Plot Keywords:

impotence | gossip | bank employee | cheating husband | commedia all'italiana | 

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Taglines:

It happens in Italy...like clockwork!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

10 February 1966 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Birds, the Bees and the Italians

Filming Locations:

Conegliano, Veneto, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dear Film Produzione, Les Films du Siècle, R.P.A. Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Anni '60 (1999)

User Reviews

A pleasure to watch and a great lesson about Italy

First of all, thumbs up to the restoration of this movie, which happened in 1997/98. Secondly, though, shame on the media who didn't flag this operation as it usually does when a masterpiece movie is finally restored. And this is a masterpiece.

Then, there is no real "Rezega", the small town in which this movie is set. This movie was shot in Treviso, the place were I was born and lived for 20 years, and my father can recall the shooting taking place in his youth. This because, like in every other small town in the world, nothing ever happens in Rezega/Treviso, and whatever may happen can't be made public, but should be spread by word of mouth.

All sort of things happen: marriage, betrayal, births and deaths, the fabric of every town's life. But decency is more important, and so "si fa ma non si dice" (everybody does it, nobody tells about it) is the law. Great performances from Gastone Moschin, Virna Lisi and Alberto Lionello, very good scriptwriting and magnificent direction by a true master like Pietro Germi make this a pleasure to watch, whether you want to understand provincial Italy or not. Oh, and if you do want to, this movie contains all you need to know about the dynamics that regulate the life of 80% of Italy's population, all those who live in towns of that size: I went to a movie screening a few years ago, and my acquaintances in the cinema were all related by stories similar to those in the movie (mind you, they are just in their 20s!).

Go see it, ask for it, let the world know about this great little movie!