Lady Liberty (1971)

Maddalena and Michele fall in love in Italy in the 1960s, while working at a meat factory in Emilia stormed by the workers' protest, but their love can't be, because he is married and Italy... See full summary »

Director:

Mario Monicelli

Writers:

Suso Cecchi D'Amico (screenplay), Mario Monicelli (screenplay)

Stars:

Sophia Loren, Gigi Proietti, William Devane

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sophia Loren	...	Maddalena Ciarrapico
Gigi Proietti	...	Michele Bruni (as Luigi Proietti)
William Devane	...	Jock Fenner
Beeson Carroll	...	Dominic Perlino
María Luisa Sala	...	Milly
Danny DeVito	...	Fred Mancuso
Tommaso Bianco	...	Parent of Michele
Susan Sarandon	...	Sally (as Susan Sarendon)
Charles Bartlett	...	Wildflower
Carla Mancini	...	Friend of Maddalena
Claudio Trionfi	...	Reporter

Storyline

Maddalena and Michele fall in love in Italy in the 1960s, while working at a meat factory in Emilia stormed by the workers' protest, but their love can't be, because he is married and Italy has no divorce. So she persuades him to move to the U.S., and joins him four years later, bringing a Mortadella (sort of salami, processed pork anyway) as a present. But Customs do not allow processed meat to enter the U.S., so she is held at JFK airport but refuses to give in (she indeed is a very strong woman). In the meantime, she discovers the truth about Michele and a few things about the US.

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Plot Keywords:

italy | divorce | custom | food in title | italian comedy | 

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Taglines:

Can a girl from a little sausage factory in Italy find romance and happiness in a pizzeria in New York?

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Edward Herrmann's film debut.

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Connections

References What's the Matter with Helen? (1971)

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Soundtracks

(I Guess) The Lord Must be In New York City
Written by Harry Nilsson
courtesy of RCA

User Reviews

A very funny satirical movie on the American Way of Life...

Mario Monicelli (b. 1916), the great comedy director who has been convulsing Italian audiences for over 5 decades, directs Sophia Loren on this caustic caricature on aspects of the American culture, like the "religious" enforcement of some funny laws such as the one - now revoked- that used to ban the import of Italian salami on the grounds that it could kill North Americans, the American government phobia for any bad press image, the workaholism of some people who needs lots of Scotch to fight off stress and than lots of "waking pills" to turn on again, as well as the dilemma and drama of a recently arrived Italian immigrant who tries to renegade his own cultural habits to become "a good American". Sophia Loren acts just great in this movie. As a word of caution, I would say that "comedies don't get exported" and only a few Americans who possess a very fine sense of humor might enjoy (or even grasp at all) some caustic critiques of their own culture. This might help explain why this movie has such an unusual voting distribution in the US, with several 10's and 0's, "love" or "hate" judgments...

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

22 December 1971 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Lady Liberty

Filming Locations:

Correggio, Reggio Emilia; Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Compagnia Cinematografica Champion, Les Films Concordia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1