Pietro Germi

Divorce Italian Style

Divorce Italian Style

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.

Film Info

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

Special Features

  • High-definition digital transfer
  • Pietro Germi: The Man with the Cigar in His Mouth, a documentary by critic and filmmaker Mario Sesti featuring interviews with Germi’s longtime friends and collaborators
  • Interviews with Sesti and actors Lando Buzzanca and Stefania Sandrelli discussing Germi on the set of Divorce Italian Style
  • 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 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

Purchase Options

Special Features

  • High-definition digital transfer
  • Pietro Germi: The Man with the Cigar in His Mouth, a documentary by critic and filmmaker Mario Sesti featuring interviews with Germi’s longtime friends and collaborators
  • Interviews with Sesti and actors Lando Buzzanca and Stefania Sandrelli discussing Germi on the set of Divorce Italian Style
  • 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 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
Divorce Italian Style
Cast
Marcello Mastroianni
Baron Ferdinando Cefalù
Daniela Rocca
Rosalia
Stefania Sandrelli
Angela
Leopoldo Trieste
Carmelo Patanè
Odoardo Spadaro
Don Gaetano
Angela Cardile
Agnese
Margherita Girelli
Sisina
Bianca Castagnetta
Donna Matilde
Lando Buzzanca
Rosario Mulè
Pietro Tordi
Avv. De Marzi
Laura Tomiselli
Zia Fifidda
Ugo Torrente
Don Calogero
Antonio Acqua
Il Parroco
Credits
Director
Pietro Germi
Screenplay
Ennio De Concini
Screenplay
Pietro Germi
Screenplay
Alfredo Giannetti
Producer
Franco Cristaldi
Cinematography
Leonida Barboni
Music
Carlo Rustichelli
Editing
Roberto Cinquini
Production design
Carlo Egidi
Costume design
Dina Di Bari

Current

Bruce Goldstein’s Top 10
Bruce Goldstein’s Top 10

Recipient of a special New York Film Critics Circle award for visionary programming, Bruce Goldstein is the Repertory Program Director of New York’s Film Forum, for which he has created more than 350 film festivals and spearheaded the rereleases of