Ferdinando Cefalù is desperate to marry his cousin, Angela, but he is married to Rosalia and divorce is illegal in Italy. To get around the law, he tries to trick his wife into having an affair so he can catch her and murder her, as he knows he would be given a light sentence for killing an adulterous woman. He persuades a painter to lure his wife into an affair, but Rosalia proves to be more faithful than he expected.
Skillfully written, with a penetrating, almost brutal glimpse of Sicily and its antiquated way of life, it has been directed by Pietro Germi with lagless pace and consistent incisiveness, evoking constant chuckles rather than isolated guffaws.
– Variety Staff,
Variety,
6 Nov 2007
fresh:
This is one of the funniest pictures the Italians have sent along.
– Bosley Crowther,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
fresh:
It remains a terrific entertainment, a European corollary to Preston Sturges.