Seduced and Abandoned (1964)

A desperate Sicilian man, whose 15 year old daughter was seduced and impregnated by his older daughter's fiancé, tries to find a way to save the family's honor.

Director:

Pietro Germi

Writers:

Pietro Germi (story), Luciano Vincenzoni (story)

Stars:

Saro Urzì, Stefania Sandrelli, Aldo Puglisi

9 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stefania Sandrelli	...	Agnese Ascalone
Saro Urzì	...	Don Vincenzo Ascalone
Aldo Puglisi	...	Peppino Califano
Lando Buzzanca	...	Antonio Ascalone
Lola Braccini	...	Amalia Califano
Leopoldo Trieste	...	Il barone Rizieri Zappalà
Umberto Spadaro	...	L'avvocato Ascalone
Paola Biggio	...	Matilde Ascalone
Rocco D'Assunta	...	Orlando Califano
Oreste Palella	...	Il maresciallo Polenza
Lina Lagalla	...	Francesca Ascalone (as Lina La Galla)
Gustavo D'Arpe	...	L'avvocato Ciarpetta
Rosetta Urzì	...	Consolata - la serva
Roberta Narbonne	...	Rosaura Ascalone
Vincenzo Licata	...	Pasquale Profumo - l'impresario di pompe funebri

Storyline

Agnese, a 15-year-old Sicilian girl is seduced and impregnated by Peppino, her sister Matilde's fiancé. Soon Vincenzo, Agnese's father, discovers everything. He wants to force Peppino to marry the dishonored Agnese, but Peppino runs away and Vincenzo sends his son Antonio to kill him. At this point, Agnese goes to the police to try to stop events. They're all taken to court. But events can't be stopped, there's still time for a fake kidnapping. A happy end is still possible.

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Plot Keywords:

carnal sin | confession | catholic church | reading someone else's mail | fiance | 

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Taglines:

RUN! Do Not Walk! See the Comedy Hit of the Year - TODAY!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

15 July 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Seduced and Abandoned

Filming Locations:

Santa Margherita di Belice, Agrigento, Sicily, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lux Film, Ultra Film, Vides Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #350.

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Quotes

Il maresciallo Polenza: [looks at a map of Italy, then covers Sicily with his hands] Better! Much better!

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Connections

Referenced in Delighting in Contrasts (2005)

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Soundtracks

Guarda come dondolo
Written by Carlo Rossi & Edoardo Vianello
Performed by Edoardo Vianello

User Reviews

Not only in Sicily.

This is a story, almost similar to what could be seen in any orthodox society, i.e. where casual relationship isn't a too welcome thing, and would ring a bell at many places, not limited to only Sicily. Of course the limits one would go through is different at different places. The plot is simple - but extremely complex - and thankfully presented in a somewhat light manner. Agnes (Stefania Sandrelli), a girl, just in her mid-teens (she in real life too just a couple of year older at that time) is seduced by her sister's fiancee, and when the parents guess and then confirm it, to their horror, she is incinta. There is only one way to save family honour, make the seducer to break the engagement to elder sister, and marry the victim. For him too there is a threat otherwise - having relation with a minor would put him behind bar and also naturally spoil his future - the career he is looking at - unless he marries her. Then all the charges get dropped (thankfully this escape route doesn't exist any more). The parents first agree - but then the mother and son has a re-think - about the virginity of the bride (it doesn't matter that the son was cause), and go underground. Traced, there is only one way for the girl's family, and the brother goes with the gun. But the girl manages to escape from her house-arrest and inform the cops' who swing into action and before anything could happen, get the two combatants in safe custody. They are brought to magistrate where the Boy claims innocence averring the girl to have seduced him. However later, the threat becomes clear to them too, and to avoid the gaol, they, with the connivance of the girl's parents arrange an elaborate plan, to kidnap the girl and then marry her (and thereby in eyes of society, it would be alright, and both the honours would be saved). The plan was perfect - only there was a hitch - the girl. She did get kidnapped, being unaware of the plot, unwillingly. But then when they were brought to the magistrate, she went against the wish of all, and refused to marry. The end is a bit hurried, in fact blurred - between the real and her visions in delirium - in which the essence was a bit lost - or may be I couldn't get it, and had to imagine (not too difficult through).

Said to be a comedy, the two major protagonists had been superb, and made an equally serious story from it - Stefania Sandrelli (Agnes) and Saro Urzì (the father). One could empathise with the fate of the girl as well as the strain that the father had to go through, with the family honour going on tatters.

Stefania especially had been excellent - as the victim - who had been accused to be the seducer by the actual perpetrator. Naturally, and she portrayed it, she had lost all her affections for him, and he didn't try enough, or she understood it was just play-acting, to regain it.

Even at the cost of her honour, now everything openly known to the gleeful public - she refused to marry the man. And that where the movie stands shoulders above the fairy-tale endings - where the heroine happily accepts the man who had been treating not only her, but women in general as play-things. The last segment in fact rises much above ordinary - and it is worth looking at the expressions of these two - the father and the daughter - and realise how the circumstances dictate the terms - and I may say - this is what is likely to happen in real life too.

In the whole cast - the weakest link was the girl's brother (Antonio), he seemed to be too girlish - I won't really expect that from someone whose kid sister had been compromised. Aldo Puglisi (as Peppino) was just OK, there wasn't much of remorse in him - but may be the character wasn't supposed to have (which made Agnes fall out of love and reject him).

Beautiful movie- story told in a light manner, but if one goes in the skin, it's not as light as it looks.