The Witches (1967)

Five short stories loosely dealing with the roles of women in society.

Directors:

Mauro Bolognini, Vittorio De Sica

Writers:

Giuseppe Patroni Griffi (story and screenplay), Cesare Zavattini (collaboration)

Stars:

Silvana Mangano, Annie Girardot, Francisco Rabal

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Silvana Mangano	...	Gloria (segment "Strega Bruciata viva, La") / Lady in a hurry (segment "Senso civico") / Assurdina Caì (segment "Terra vista dalla luna, La") / Nunzia (segment "Siciliana, La") / Giovanna (segment "Sera come le altre, Una")
Annie Girardot	...	Valeria (segment "Strega Bruciata Viva, La")
Francisco Rabal	...	Paolo (Segment "Strega Bruciata Viva, La")
Massimo Girotti	...	Sportsman (segment "Strega Bruciata Viva, La")
Véronique Vendell	...	Young Girl Friend (segment "Strega Bruciata Viva, La")
Elsa Albani	...	Gossip (segment "Strega Bruciata Viva, La")
Clara Calamai	...	Ex-actress (segment "Strega Bruciata Viva, La")
Marilù Tolo	...	Waitress (segment "Strega Bruciata Viva, La")
Nora Ricci	...	Gloria's secretary (segment "Strega Bruciata Viva, La")
Dino Mele	...	Dino, the waiter (segment "Strega Bruciata Viva, La")
Helmut Berger	...	Hotel Page (segment "La Strega Bruciata Viva") (as Helmut Steinbergher)
Bruno Filippini	...	Singer (segment "Strega Bruciata Viva, La")
Leslie French	...	Industrialist (segment "Strega Bruciata Viva, La")
Alberto Sordi	...	Elio Ferocci (segment "Senso Civico")
Totò	...	Ciancicato Miao (segment "La terra vista dalla luna")

Storyline

Five short stories loosely dealing with the roles of women in society. A superstar actress travels to a mountain resort, only to evoke jealousy from women and lust from men. A woman offers to take an injured man to the hospital. A widowed father and his son seek for a new wife and mother. A man seeks revenge for a woman's honor. A bored housewife tries to explain to her husband that he's not as romantic as he used to be.

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Plot Keywords:

dream | nightgown | lust | suicide by shooting oneself in the head | jumping on a bed | 

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Taglines:

Woman as she is...all things to men!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

12 March 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Witches

Filming Locations:

Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Les Productions Artistes Associés

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reputedly, the reason Clint Eastwood took the Ferrari as part of his payment was that his agent wouldn't be able to get ten percent of the car.

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Quotes

Industrialist: I make a perfume. But I can't make it any better or it would destabilise the market.

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Connections

References Danger: Diabolik (1968)

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Soundtracks

Mandolinata
(uncredited)
Written and Performed by Ennio Morricone And His Orchestra

User Reviews

Five faces for a woman

On a sleepless night, in my late childhood I was struck by this bizarre movie, in a late-late hours rerun. It blew my mind, and I still wonder around video rentals looking for a copy, in vain. It was conceived probably as a showcase for Silvia Mangano but it is only natural that with such talented directors the movie is not about her, it is instead about them. The first and last episodes are a charming display of misogyny, being the first the silent vivisection of a woman while in the later, featuring a almost speechless Clint Stewood, a cathartic (or rather hysterical) woman lists verborhagically the common places of women paradoxes. But it is Pasollini's "Earth seen from the moon" piece that really breaks through, depicting the perfect woman - half blond, half brunet and entirely mute. His is a little fable on women leading men into idiocy, condition incarnated by famous slapstick comedian Totó. The shortest episode, "Senso Civico" is completely superfluous and echoes another superfluous over-excited-Italian-freak-in-the-traffic episode played by Roberto Begnini in Jim Jarmush's "Night on earth". Still the best pick if you want to trade insomnia for fun.