Marriage Italian-Style

David R Williams

Melodramatic yes but in this case that is not a bad thing. Mastroianni is wonderful as always while Loren is radiant. Funny and heart-rending. If you don't get a bit misty at least once during all this - you need to check for a heart beat.

The Boreal Chorus

On one level, it's a 60s-era rom-com full of great cinematography, acting and chemistry. It's De Sica after all. On another level, it's a light but tragic exploration of a misogynistic society. On a higher level still, it's transcendent, perhaps even in feminist terms if one's heart is open because the heroine survives rejection, shame, despair, and even catharsis with dignity and honor.

Adriano Rocha

Miss Loren is so damn beautiful! Great performances by her and Marcello. Great direction by De Sicca. Great story.

Amandenberg

Sophia Loren is a warrior. Holy shit, her performance in this is incredible.

willmckinley

Over-sexed businessman (Mastroianni) & 17-year-old prostitute (Loren) meet cute in a Naples whorehouse at the end of WWII, begin a quarter-century-long relationship of convenience (mostly his). Based on the play "Filumena Marturano," De Sica's film is a touching farce that has much to say about gender politics. The chemistry betw the two leads is so genuine, it feels like we're spying. Brilliant. (9/25/11 Film Forum)

josé neves

The title in English says it all: "Italian-style", starting at the unbearable beginning that sets the tone to this stereotype of the Italian comedy. The German Werner Schroeter with the operatic "ll Regno di Napoli" goes deeper into the portrait of an idea on Italianity and, above all, cinematically much further. De Sica with Loren-Mastroianni pair reached success but impoverished his cinema, reformatting it.

msmichel

Classic pairing of Loren and Mastroianni in a tale of a former whore who becomes the long suffering secret of man while she only wishes to be the legitimate wife. The sexism and misogyny of the times is prevalent and makes the film feel pretty dated. Loren is wonderful here and has a wardrobe throughout to covet. Its just hard to accept the romance when Marcello plays such a douche.

Not A Sexy Vampire

Kinda like A New Leaf, except there the happy ending was seen as a position of growth, that both needed one another without realising it. Here Mastrioanni's character treats Loren terribly and only marries her when he has some personal investment. That's very gross, but the fashions and easy charm of the two leads helps it go down a little easier, at least when you're watching it. Looking back, not so much.