Some spotty editing is no help in trying to follow the plot twists that get more and more involved after a good start, with Vittorio Gassman and Sophia Loren moving into a castle that Gassman thinks is haunted by a wealthy nobleman. Actually, it's Loren's lover who is hiding out to be near her and this set-up is the start of a screwball comedy.
Most enjoyable aspect of the film are the performances by Vittorio Gassman and Mario Adorf who garner a lot of laughs out of what seems an impossible situation. Loren merely lends her rather somber presence to the comedy in a straight role that doesn't require comic skill.
The situations are played for laughs but the story convolutions become a bit hard to swallow once the film gets past mid-length and there are too many anti-climactic moments as one gag after another is offered in rather fitful fashion, including an especially silly one for the ending that involves Marcello Mastroianni.
There's a blank time lapse toward the end that seems to indicate a bad case of editing. The story suddenly lurches forward as if omitting details of what happened in between or as though scenes were left on the cutting room floor. Despite this flaw, it manages to be funny thanks to the artful performances of the male leads.
Most enjoyable aspect of the film are the performances by Vittorio Gassman and Mario Adorf who garner a lot of laughs out of what seems an impossible situation. Loren merely lends her rather somber presence to the comedy in a straight role that doesn't require comic skill.
The situations are played for laughs but the story convolutions become a bit hard to swallow once the film gets past mid-length and there are too many anti-climactic moments as one gag after another is offered in rather fitful fashion, including an especially silly one for the ending that involves Marcello Mastroianni.
There's a blank time lapse toward the end that seems to indicate a bad case of editing. The story suddenly lurches forward as if omitting details of what happened in between or as though scenes were left on the cutting room floor. Despite this flaw, it manages to be funny thanks to the artful performances of the male leads.