Editing Divorce Italian Style

{{short description|1961 Italian film}}
{{Infobox film
| image          = Divorceitalian.jpg
| name           = Divorce Italian Style
| director       = [[Pietro Germi]]
| screenplay     = [[Ennio De Concini]]<br />Pietro Germi<br />[[Alfredo Giannetti]]<br />[[Agenore Incrocci]] (uncredited)
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Un delitto d'onore]]''<br>1960 novel|[[Giovanni Arpino]]}}
| producer       = [[Franco Cristaldi]]
| starring       = [[Marcello Mastroianni]]<br />[[Daniela Rocca]]<br />[[Stefania Sandrelli]]<br />[[Leopoldo Trieste]]<br />[[Odoardo Spadaro]]
| music          = [[Carlo Rustichelli]]
| cinematography = [[Carlo Di Palma]]<br />[[Leonida Barboni]]
| editing        = [[Roberto Cinquini]]
| distributor    = [[Embassy Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1961|12|20|df=yes}}
| runtime        = 108 minutes
| country        = Italy
| language       = Italian
| gross          = $2.3 million (US/Canada rentals)<ref name=rentals>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title='Divorce-Italian Style,' $2,252,013|date=February 19, 1964|page=5}}</ref>
}}
'''''Divorce Italian Style''''' ({{langx|it|'''Divorzio all'italiana'''}}) is a 1961 Italian [[black comedy]] film directed by [[Pietro Germi]]. The screenplay is by Germi, [[Ennio De Concini]], [[Alfredo Giannetti]], and [[Agenore Incrocci]], based on [[Giovanni Arpino]]'s novel ''[[Un delitto d'onore]]'' (English title ''A Crime of Honor''). It stars [[Marcello Mastroianni]], [[Daniela Rocca]], [[Stefania Sandrelli]], [[Lando Buzzanca]], and [[Leopoldo Trieste]].

It received the [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]], two [[Golden Globe Awards]] and numerous other International film prizes. In 2008, the film was included in the [[Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism|Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage]]'s [[100 film italiani da salvare|100 Italian films to be saved]], a list of 100 films that "have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ecco i cento film italiani da salvare Corriere della Sera|url=https://www.corriere.it/spettacoli/08_febbraio_28/elenco_cento_film_d83cacd8-e5ce-11dc-ab61-0003ba99c667.shtml|access-date=2021-03-11|website=www.corriere.it}}</ref>

==Plot==
Ferdinando Cefalù, a 37-year-old impoverished [[Sicily|Sicilian]] nobleman, is married to Rosalia, a devoted wife he no longer loves. He is in love with his cousin Angela, a 16-year-old girl he sees only during the summer because her family sends her away to Catholic school in the city. Besides his wife, he shares his life with his elderly parents, his sister, and her fiancé, a funeral director. The family share their once stately palace with his uncles, who are slowly but surely eating away the remainders of their once rich estate.

Aware that [[Divorce law by country#Italy|divorce is illegal]], Ferdinando fantasizes about doing away with his wife, such as by throwing her into a boiling cauldron, sending her into space in a rocket, or drowning her in quicksand. After a chance encounter with Angela during a family trip, he discovers that she shares his feelings. 

Inspired by a local story of a woman who killed her husband in a rage of jealousy, he resolves to lead his wife into having an affair so that he can catch her ''[[wikt:in flagrante delicto|in flagrante delicto]]'', murder her, and receive a light sentence for committing an [[Honour killing#Italy|honour killing]]. He first needs to find a suitable lover for his wife, whom he finds in the local priest's godson, Carmelo Patanè, a painter who has had feelings for Rosalia for years. For a time he was presumed killed during [[World War II]]. Ferdinando also procures the State Prosecutor's friendship with a small favor. The final stage of his plan is to arrange for Carmelo's constant presence in his house, which he achieves by feigning interest in having his palace frescoes restored.

But Carmelo is timid with Rosalia, and she is initially committed to conjugal fidelity. Ferdinando tapes their private conversations and has to ward off the maid Sisina's infatuation with Carmelo. After Carmelo makes a pass at Sisina, she tells the priest, Carmelo's godfather, at confession, who informs her that Carmelo is married with three children. She relays that information to Ferdinando. Rosalia and Carmelo finally give in to their passion, but the tape of their conversation runs out just as they are arranging their next meeting. All Ferdinando knows is that it will take place the next evening.

Rosalia feigns a headache and remains home while the rest of the family goes to the cinema to see the local première of ''[[La Dolce Vita]]'', a film so scandalous that no one wants to miss it. Ferdinando sneaks out of the theater and returns home, arriving just in time to see Rosalia leaving for the train station. He retrieves his gun to kill her, but arrives at the station just after their train departs. He revisits his plan and the Criminal Code. It defines a crime of passion as executed in the heat of the moment or in defense of one's honor, so he embraces the role of a cuckold.

All along, Angela has been writing Ferdinando to assure him of her undying love for him. Her last letter is misdelivered to her father, who dies of a heart attack upon reading it. At the funeral, Ferdinando is approached by Mrs. Patanè, who demands to know what he will do about their situation. After he responds noncommittally, she spits in his face in front of the entire town, which gives him what he needs: an open insult to the family's honor due to his wife's elopement. 

The local [[Sicilian Mafia|Mafia]] boss offers to find the lovers within 24 hours, which he does. As Ferdinando goes to the lovers' hideout, he hears Mrs. Patanè kill Carmelo. He follows suit and kills Rosalia. At his trial he is defended by the State Prosecutor, who blames the whole thing on Ferdinando's father, saying that he failed to give his son enough love when raising him as a boy. Ferdinando is released from prison after three years and returns home to find Angela waiting for him.

Later, Ferdinando and Angela are happily sailing at sea. As they kiss, Angela seductively rubs her feet against those of the young workman piloting the boat.

==Cast==
[[File:Mastroianni divorzio italiana.jpg|thumb|Marcello Mastroianni as Ferdinando Cefalù]]
* [[Marcello Mastroianni]] as Ferdinando Cefalù
* [[Daniela Rocca]] as Rosalia Cefalù
* [[Stefania Sandrelli]] as Angela
* [[Leopoldo Trieste]] as Carmelo Patanè
* [[Odoardo Spadaro]] as Don Gaetano Cefalù
* Margherita Girelli as Sisina
* Angela Cardile as Agnese
* [[Lando Buzzanca]] as Rosario Mulè
* [[Pietro Tordi]] as Attorney De Marzi
* Ugo Torrente as Don Calogero
* [[Antonio Acqua]] as Priest
* Bianca Castagnetta as Donna Matilde Cefalù
* Giovanni Fassiolo as Don Ciccio Matara
* Ignazio Roberto Daidone
* Francesco Nicastro

==Release==
''Divorce Italian Style'' was released in Rome in December 1961.<ref name="afi">{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=22814|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402220610/http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=22814|archive-date=April 2, 2014|title=Divorce--Italian Style|access-date=October 25, 2018|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Critical reception===

Review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported an approval rating of 100% based on 17 reviews.<ref>{{rotten-tomatoes|divorce_italian_style|Divorce Italian Style}}</ref> Upon release in the United States, [[Bosley Crowther]] of [[The New York Times]] called it "one of the funniest pictures the Italians have sent along" and praised Germi as "a genius with the sly twist."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |date=September 18, 1962 |title=The Screen: 'Divorce--Italian Style'; 'Dandy Satiric Farce' at Paris Theater Marcello Mastroianni and Miss Rocca Star |language=en |pages=34 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/09/18/archives/the-screen-divorceitalian-styledandy-satiric-farce-at-paris-theater.html |access-date=2023-07-03 }}</ref> James Powers of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' praised the "mocking, sardonic farce" as "bold, irreverent, and human to the bone," and he predicted it would be successful in America due its dual nature as both an arthouse film and a film that achieves general appeal.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Powers |first=James |date=October 2, 1962 |title=Italo Production Has General Appeal |pages=3 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2339684721 |id={{ProQuest|2339684721}} |url-access=limited }}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' gave the film a positive review, calling the satire "a penetrating, almost brutal glimpse of Sicily and its antiquated way of life."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hawk |date=September 26, 1962 |title=Divorce--Italian Style |work=Variety }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Variety Staff |title=Divorzio All'Italiana |url=https://variety.com/1960/film/reviews/divorzio-all-italiana-1200419977/ |website=Variety |date=1 January 1961 }}</ref>

===Box Office===

When the film was released in the United States, it earned theatrical rentals of $803,666 in 1962 and a further $1,449,347 in 1963 for a total of $2,252,013 in the United States and Canada. It was still in release in 1964.<ref name="rentals" />

===Accolades===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[35th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]<ref name="Oscars1963">{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1963 |title=The 35th Academy Awards (1963) Nominees and Winners |access-date=23 August 2011 |work=oscars.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202001804/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1963 |archive-date=2 February 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| [[Pietro Germi]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| [[Marcello Mastroianni]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]]
| [[Ennio De Concini]], [[Alfredo Giannetti]] and Pietro Germi
| {{won}}
|-
| Avellino Neorealism Film Festival
| Best Actress
| [[Daniela Rocca]]
| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with Gina Rovere for ''[[Adua and Her Friends]]''.}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[17th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1964/film |title=BAFTA Awards: Film in 1964 |website=[[BAFTA]] |year=1964 |access-date=16 September 2016 |ref={{harvid|BAFTA|1964}}}}</ref>
| colspan="2"| [[BAFTA Award for Best Film|Best Film from any Source]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|Best Foreign Actor]]
| Marcello Mastroianni
| {{won}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Foreign Actress]]
| Daniela Rocca
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[1962 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes Film Festival]]<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/divorzio-all-italiana/ |title=Divorzio all'Italiana |access-date=20 February 2024 |website=Festival de Cannes}}</ref>
| Prix de la meilleure comédie
| Pietro Germi
| {{won}}
|-
| [[15th Directors Guild of America Awards|Directors Guild of America Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1960s/1962.aspx?value=1962|title=15th DGA Awards |website=[[Directors Guild of America Awards]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
| [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]]
| Pietro Germi
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[20th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/divorce-italian-style |title=Divorce Italian Style – Golden Globes |website=[[HFPA]] |access-date=July 5, 2021 |ref={{harvid|HFPA|1963}}}}</ref>
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Film – Foreign Language]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]]
| Marcello Mastroianni
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Globo d'oro|Italian Golden Globe Awards]]
| Best Film
| Pietro Germi
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="6"| [[Nastro d'Argento]]
| [[Nastro d'Argento for Best Producer|Best Producer]]
| [[Franco Cristaldi]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Nastro d'Argento for Best Director|Best Director]]
| Pietro Germi
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Nastro d'Argento for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| Marcello Mastroianni
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Nastro d'Argento for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]]
| rowspan="2"| Ennio de Concini, Alfredo Giannetti and Pietro Germi
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Original Story
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Production Design
| [[Carlo Egidi]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[National Board of Review Awards 1962|National Board of Review Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1962/ |title=1962 Award Winners |website=[[National Board of Review]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Five Foreign Language Films|Top Five Foreign Language Films]]
| {{draw|3rd Place}}
|-
| [[Thessaloniki International Film Festival]]
| Honorary Award
| Pietro Germi
| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with [[Robert Dhéry]] for ''[[La Belle Américaine]]''.}}
|}

==Adaptations==
In 2008 [[Giorgio Battistelli]] adapted ''Divorce Italian Style'' into an opera, ''Divorce à l'Italienne'', which premiered by the [[Opéra national de Lorraine]] on September 30 of that year with tenor [[Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke|Wolfgang Ablinger Sperrhacke]] in Mastroianni's role. Battistelli chose to set every female role except Angela for low male voice; {{ill|Bruno Praticò|it}} sang the role of Rosalia.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.metoperafamily.org/operanews/review/review.aspx?id=2586 |title=Opera News > the Met Opera Guild |access-date=2009-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228002357/http://www.metoperafamily.org/operanews/review/review.aspx?id=2586 |archive-date=2008-12-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== See also ==
''[[Marriage Italian Style]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{notelist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Divorzio all'italiana}}
* {{IMDb title|0055913|Divorce Italian Style}}
* {{tcmdb title|id=73216}}
* [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/365-divorce-italian-style-the-facts-and-fancies-of-murder ''Divorce Italian Style: The Facts (and Fancies) of Murder''] an essay by [[Stuart Klawans]] at the [[Criterion Collection]]
* {{Internet Archive film|divorzio-italiana-pietro-germi-1961-b-n-700p|Divorzio all'italiana}}

{{Pietro Germi}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}

[[Category:1961 films]]
[[Category:1961 comedy films]]
[[Category:Italian comedy films]]
[[Category:1960s Italian-language films]]
[[Category:Italian satirical films]]
[[Category:Italian black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Commedia all'italiana]]
[[Category:Films about divorce]]
[[Category:Films about honor killing]]
[[Category:Films set in Sicily]]
[[Category:Films shot in Sicily]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe winning performance]]
[[Category:Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films directed by Pietro Germi]]
[[Category:Films scored by Carlo Rustichelli]]
[[Category:Films adapted into operas]]
[[Category:1960s Italian films]]