Only a few things to add, given that ItalianGerry's review is so thorough.
Mario Monicelli was probably the leading director of Italian film comedies, though fans of Risi and Germi may disagree, so it was a surprise to come across this, a Monicelli film which is totally serious ("The Organiser" with Mastroianni was the only other example I can recall.) Here he strays into the same territory Pietro Germi explored in some of his early films such as "In the Name of the Law" and "The Bandit of Tacca del Lupo": men with rifles riding horses over parched Southern countrysides, obsessed with feuds and honour. There's a bizarre scene where the heads of the two rival clans stage a kind of medieval joust, using guns instead of lances. It reminded me of the showdown between John Wayne and Robert Duvall in "True Grit." Mel Ferrer plays a priest returning to his home town in Sardinia and trying to make peace between the Corraine and Barras clans. He agrees to a plan whereby Agnese Barras (Lea Massari , making her debut) would marry the son of Constantino Corraine (the latter is played by the charismatic Amadeo Nazzari.) The problem with the plan is twofold. The boy is an obnoxious oaf and Agnese is in love with the priest. Apparently her feelings are reciprocated, though you'd never guess it from Ferrer's performance: he looks good but he's not an actor who can show what's going through his character's mind.
This film has a lot going for it, apart from Nazzari. Paolo Ferrara as a cop (the most sympathetic character), the setting, the excellent colour photography, and of course the glorious Brahms Symphony No.4. It's not one of Monicelli's classics, and I doubt if it was mentioned in any of his obituaries, but it's certainly worth catching. It's on YouTube with English subtitles.
Mario Monicelli was probably the leading director of Italian film comedies, though fans of Risi and Germi may disagree, so it was a surprise to come across this, a Monicelli film which is totally serious ("The Organiser" with Mastroianni was the only other example I can recall.) Here he strays into the same territory Pietro Germi explored in some of his early films such as "In the Name of the Law" and "The Bandit of Tacca del Lupo": men with rifles riding horses over parched Southern countrysides, obsessed with feuds and honour. There's a bizarre scene where the heads of the two rival clans stage a kind of medieval joust, using guns instead of lances. It reminded me of the showdown between John Wayne and Robert Duvall in "True Grit." Mel Ferrer plays a priest returning to his home town in Sardinia and trying to make peace between the Corraine and Barras clans. He agrees to a plan whereby Agnese Barras (Lea Massari , making her debut) would marry the son of Constantino Corraine (the latter is played by the charismatic Amadeo Nazzari.) The problem with the plan is twofold. The boy is an obnoxious oaf and Agnese is in love with the priest. Apparently her feelings are reciprocated, though you'd never guess it from Ferrer's performance: he looks good but he's not an actor who can show what's going through his character's mind.
This film has a lot going for it, apart from Nazzari. Paolo Ferrara as a cop (the most sympathetic character), the setting, the excellent colour photography, and of course the glorious Brahms Symphony No.4. It's not one of Monicelli's classics, and I doubt if it was mentioned in any of his obituaries, but it's certainly worth catching. It's on YouTube with English subtitles.