A wife thinks that her husband is shady, mediocre, incompetent and greedy. She is completely right in every respect. Meanwhile her husband hates her, partially because she can see right through his antics and partially because she stands between him and a great big fortune. Their daily battle of wits is going to degenerate into something even worse...
"Il vedovo" is a black comedy of uncommon sharpness, identifying and skewering some of the shortcomings of broader Italian society circa 1959. The plot is clever, the dialogue is sharp and there's a variety of richly comic characters, such as a blonde mistress who believes that her mediocre lover is a man of Napoleonic vision and talents. The performances are great, with a special mention to the tour de force performance by Alberto Sordi as the male protagonist. Watch him as the widower making a short televised statement on the tragic disappearance of his spouse : it's a masterclass in dark comedy. It all works up to a very satisfying ending.
Personal highlight : the protagonist going on a spiritual retreat, listening to homilies about the rewards of modesty and humility, and returning with the firm conviction that God's little birds singing in God's little trees can go hang themselves.
"Il vedovo" is a black comedy of uncommon sharpness, identifying and skewering some of the shortcomings of broader Italian society circa 1959. The plot is clever, the dialogue is sharp and there's a variety of richly comic characters, such as a blonde mistress who believes that her mediocre lover is a man of Napoleonic vision and talents. The performances are great, with a special mention to the tour de force performance by Alberto Sordi as the male protagonist. Watch him as the widower making a short televised statement on the tragic disappearance of his spouse : it's a masterclass in dark comedy. It all works up to a very satisfying ending.
Personal highlight : the protagonist going on a spiritual retreat, listening to homilies about the rewards of modesty and humility, and returning with the firm conviction that God's little birds singing in God's little trees can go hang themselves.