Divorce Italian Style

Film Info

Italy
1961
104 minutes
Black and White
1.85:1
Italian
Spine #286

Baron Ferdinando Cefalù (Marcello Mastroianni) longs to marry his nubile young cousin Angela (Stefania Sandrelli), but one obstacle stands in his way: his fatuous and fawning wife, Rosalia (Daniela Rocca). His solution? Since divorce is illegal, he hatches a plan to lure his spouse into the arms of another and then murder her in a justifiable effort to save his honor. The Criterion Collection is proud to present director Pietro Germi’s hilarious and cutting satire of Sicilian male-chauvinist culture, winner of the 1962 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Cast

Baron Ferdinando Cefalù	Marcello Mastroianni
Rosalia	Daniela Rocca
Angela	Stefania Sandrelli
Carmelo Patanè	Leopoldo Trieste
Don Gaetano	Odoardo Spadaro
Agnese	Angela Cardile
Sisina	Margherita Girelli
Donna Matilde	Bianca Castagnetta
Rosario Mulè	Lando Buzzanca
Avv. De Marzi	Pietro Tordi
Zia Fifidda	Laura Tomiselli
Don Calogero	Ugo Torrente
Il Parroco	Antonio Acqua

Credits

Director	Pietro Germi
Screenplay	Ennio De Concini, Pietro Germi and Alfredo Giannetti
Producer	Franco Cristaldi
Cinematography	Leonida Barboni
Music	Carlo Rustichelli
Editing	Roberto Cinquini
Production design	Carlo Egidi
Costume design	Dina Di Bari

Disc Features

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET:

New, restored high-definition digital transfer
Pietro Germi: The Man with the Cigar in His Mouth, a 39-minute documentary by critic and filmmaker Mario Sesti featuring interviews with Germi’s longtime friends and collaborators
Delighting in Contrasts, a new 30-minute collection of interviews with Sesti and actors Lando Buzzanca and Stefania Sandrelli discussing Germi on the set of Divorce Italian Style
An interview with screenwriter Ennio De Concini
Rare screen-test footage of actresses Daniela Rocca and Stefania Sandrelli
New and improved English subtitle translation
Plus: a 28-page booklet featuring a new essay by film critic Stuart Klawans and reprinted pieces by director Martin Scorsese and film historian Andrew Sarris

New cover illustration by Jaime Hernandez, design by Eric Skillman