Amori miei (1979)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Steno

Writers:

Jaja Fiastri (screenplay) &
Jaja Fiastri (play)

Release Date:

23 July 1981 (Hungary)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Anna wants to improve her marriage to sculptor Marco but ends up having an affair with her new teacher Antonio as well...

Plot Keywords:

Lover | Italy | Unfaithful Husband | Beautiful Woman | 1970s

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Monica Vitti	...	Anna Lisa Bianchi
Johnny Dorelli	...	Marco Rossi
Enrico Maria Salerno	...	Antonio Bianchi
Edwige Fenech	...	Deborah

Also Known As:

My Loves

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Vides

Steno tries to look at the female point of few

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

While watching "Amori Miei" it becomes quite obvious this film is based on a stage play. There are only four speaking parts of any substance and one of those is no more than a glorified cameo (so calling it a three-parter would be more apt). Most of the action happens in two different apartments (though there are some scenes set outside) and it's all rather talky. However, the (screen)play certainly has an interesting premise. Anna (Monica Vitti) is married to an sculptor called Marco (Johnny Dorelli) and the two of them hardly ever get to see each other. So, she decides to make a masterpiece out of their marriage. In doing so falls for her teacher Antonio (Enrico Maria Salerno) and, calling herself 'Lisa', starts leading a double life. It is unusual to say the least to have a female lead trying to keep two men from finding out she is married to both of them, especially in an Italian production.

For a while at least, Vitti's character manages to keep both her lovers at bay without having to resort to any elaborate schemes of pretending to be two women in one place or one woman in two different places at the same time. Things change when Anna/Lisa becomes pregnant. Unsure which one of her lovers knocked her up, she sends both of them to have their sperm tested. This is where Marco and Antonio first meet. Things only get more complicated when both turn out to be impotent, Anna/Lisa decides to take a weekend treatment and the two men become fast friends while she's off pretending to be two different persons sharing a hotel room.

Edwige Fenech co-stars as call girl Deborah and though her scenes are few and far apart, as usual she leaves a lasting impression. Marco introduces her to Antonio by way of a sexy slide show that features some early seventies pin ups and pictures from one of her Italian Playboy pictorials (including outtakes if I'm not mistaken). The two men invite her over to Marco's pad, where she does a sexy dance set to a song aptly titled 'Deborah'. Although she remains completely covered in clothing the entire time, the material covering her bosom is so flimsy it leaves nothing to the imagination and one might be excused to think her topless (especially in publicity material released for this picture).

Edwige returns later on as an object of Anna/Lisa's jealousy, before helping out to bring the film to it's logical conclusion. It is worth noting that workaholic Fenech had no less than 5 pictures coming out the same year (1979), all of which featured her in more scenes than this one. She must have been working on some of these while shooting her scenes for "Amori Miei", as she first appears sporting the short dark perm she wears in "La Patata Bollente" while near the end it's the cute brownish red bob from "La Poliziotta Della Squadra Del Buon Costume" & "L'Insegnante Viene a Casa".

7 out of 10