Comedy Italian style

When it comes to Italian comedy, there are the good films and the great films, with a majority of them falling into the latter. These greats come from the likes of directors Federico Fellini and Mario Monicelli just to name a few. Yet there is one man, Pietro Germi, whose relatively serious demeanor was capable of making comedic gold in the form of "Divorce Italian Style."\nThe story of "Divorce Italian Style" is a delightfully simple one. Baron Ferdinando Cefalú (Marcello Mastroianni) is frustrated with his current marriage to wife Rosalia (Daniela Rocca) and desires to marry his cousin Angela (Stefania Sandrelli). The problem is that divorce is illegal in Italy and therefore he is stuck longing to commit adultery. The desire to murder his wife in various ways comes to mind but he cannot justify getting away with any of them without facing serious repercussions. When the Baron learns of the return of his wife's pre-marriage love interest Carmelo (Leopoldo Trieste), he devises a plan to catch her in an act of infidelity which would justify his murderous rage and allow remarriage to Angela. \nThe film proves to be quite entertaining and humorous from start to finish. Mastroianni is one of the Italian comedic geniuses who does a great job in "Divorce" with only his contributions to Fellini's films besting this performance. He is simply delightful with his sleepy-eyed gaze and amusing ideas of murder ranging from the typical stabbing and shooting to sending his wife off to space in a rocket. Rocca comes off as plain annoying with her overly-caring attitude and constant banshee-esque howling laughter. I make mention of Fellini because this film not only resembles the same "comedic value through facial expression" that Fellini so routinely used but it also pokes fun at one of Fellini's greatest comedies, "La Dolce Vita," which caused a crazy uproar in Italy the year prior to the release of "Divorce." \nThis double-disc set is made up of a wonderful black and white transfer of "Divorce Italian Style" and numerous supplements which cover one of Italy's lesser known film directors. The documentary "The Man with a Cigar in His Mouth" features interviews with Germi's friends and contains much detail about his career. "Delighting in Contrasts" is another set of interviews taken in 2004 which discusses "Divorce" from cast and crew members. In addition there are screen tests from the casting call and an interview with screenwriter Ennio De Concini whose screenplay ended up winning the 1962 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Finally, a 28-page booklet rounds out the set including essays on the film from the likes of Martin Scorsese and others. \nIf you're a fan of comedies and have never had the chance to see "Divorce Italian Style," I encourage you to track down the DVD and give it a shot. It is hilarious from start to finish and ranks quite high on my list of Italian favorites. "Divorce" is a great entry into the Italian style of comedy and hopefully at the end you'll find yourself craving more.