Matrimonio all’italiana
After having seen “Divorzio all’italiana”, I would have expected this film to be by Pietro Germi as well. But no, this is Vittorio de Sica of “Bicycle Thieves” fame. Criterion has tons of de Sica films, but this one (even though it got an Oscar) is not amongst them. I am not surprised. It seems like de Sica had a phase like Gus van Sant had with “Good Will Hunting” and “Finding Forrester” – he made a few films seemingly purely with commercial intentions, without much artistry behind it. But then again, if I had the choice between re-watching “Matrimonio all’italiana” and re-visiting “Bicycle Thieves”, I have to admit that I would rather go for “Matrimonio all’italiana”.
The Wikipedia article of this film suggests that the story has nothing to offer and could have been told in 10 minutes. Maybe that is true; if you kick out all the flashbacks, the barebone of the story consists of a simplistic “man gets conned into marriage, but by the end realizes that he loved the woman after all and marries her for real”. Nevertheless, the flashbacks provide emotional support for the character of Filumena. It’s no fun to see Sophia Loren play the cunning witch who coerces her rich guy into marriage because she doesn’t pull off unlikable characters too well, I think she only works if she can inspire sympathy. Surprisingly enough, sympathy is exactly what works so well in this film. There are some overly kitsch scenes, especially with those sons (all of whom cannot act and don’t even look alike), but it is those flashbacks in which we learn how Filumena’s love for Domenico grew and how much she went through in this relationship with him. Filumena’s character may be clichéd, but oh so likable. I guess I just have a weak spot for the woman who wants really wants to be with a man yet is unable to play the submissive girly girl that he desires.
I remember having seen many films with Sophia Loren on German television when I was young, and perhaps this film was even amongst them. From what I can remember, La Loren has never looked as great as she did in this film. The film looks like it was made to provide Sophia Loren eye candy, and for that it really works.
For the most part, I thought this was an amusing, enjoyable film. If only it had toned down its kitsch a little bit, I probably would have liked it as much as its “Divorzio all’italiana”. That film had a much better script and an actually witty ending, but “Matrimonio” wins for the lovely characterization of its main characters.