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'Divorce' does cynicism right
‘Divorzioall’italiana/ a 1961
Italian film, tells the tale of
a man plotting to kill his wife
By Ryan Nyburg
Senior Pulse Reporter
FORGOTTEN
FILIVIS
Pietro Germi's 1961 film "Divorzio
all'italiana" ("Divorce — Italian Style")
wears its cynicism boldly for everyone
to see. Note this is not the cheap cyni
cism that infects many of today's Holly
wood comedies, which seem to be
made by people who think the audi
ence is too stupid to know the difference
between mockery and satire.
No, this is a much darker cyni
cism, one that states that a man — if
he is rich, charming, aristocratic and
has the proper legal defense — can
get away with murder.
The man in this case is Baron Ferdi
nando Cefalu, played by the excellent
Marcello Mastroianni. From the mo
ment he comes on screen, he looks as
_ if he is get
ting away
with some
thing. Well
groomed,
hidden be
hind dark sunglasses and a cigarette
holder, he is full of personal style and
intelligence. It is through his eyes that
we see the film, and his often bemused
nan ation guides us through the various
intrigues of the plot
Before long, Baron plans to drop his
wife and marry his teenage cousin. Un
fortunately, divorce was illegal at the
time in Italy, meaning he has to come up
with some other form of disposal.
Knowing that he can't get away with sim
ply killing her he decides to set up a situ
ation in which his wife will commit
adultery, so he can catch her in the art
and then kill her in defense of his family
honor. Knowing that a given court will
go easy on a man enraged to find him
self a cuckold, Baron figures his sentence
will be no more than a few years, and he
can serve his time with his reputation
untarnished since the community will
see him as having done the right thing.
This is all rather heartless to be sure,
and it probably wouldn't work if not
for Mastroianni. His performance
makes the Baron seem like a flawed hu
man rather than a bastard, and it's this
quality that allows the audience to, in
some way at least, identify with his
problems. His wife Rosalia (played by
the pitch-perfect Daniela Rocca) is an
noying in all the ways that can drive a
husband crazy. She's needy, loud and
starved for attention. None of these
things are worthy of execution, but they
make the film all the more effective. If
Rosalia were outright despicable it
would be too easy to just wish death
upon her and get it over with. But by
humanizing her, making her a charac
ter with more depth than necessary to
further the plot the filmmakers add a
whole new level to the story.
A film like this could easily be seen
as misogynistic. However, it never glo
rifies the actions of its characters. In
stead, it portrays Baron as someone
Eric Layton Illustrator
who hides his lack of morality under
the guise of personal style. Mastroian
ni's performance is truly masterful. His
minor facial twitches and expressions
are the only indicators of his true feel
ings — they are never shown through
his words. He's like a shark, working to
ward his goal with a single-minded and
tenacious attitude. Having decided
what he wants, he works methodically
on how to get it. His only honest emo
tion seems to be his love of his young
cousin Angela.
Above all, the film is funny. It ob
serves people and institutions with a
wry amusement, showing the folly and
hypocrisy in everything — for, after all,
those are the two things that seem to
unite everyone The film's final ironies
end it on a perfect note, showing it to
be cynical about pretty much everyone.
But even cynics can laugh.
"Divorzio all'italiana" is available on
video and DVD.
Contact the senior Pulse reporter
at ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com.
VON BONDIES
continued from page 6
New York Dolls meets Sleater-Kin
ney, minus the social commentary
and authenticity.
Besides Stollsteimer, the band also
is comprised of Marcie Bolen on gui
tar, Don Blum on drums and Carrie
Smith on bass. All members con
tribute vocals.
The lyrics are often dull and deriv
ative. The song "Broken Man" is remi
niscent of the poetry a ninth-grader
would write. Stollsteimer sings "I'm a
broken man/This here's my broken
band/From a broken land/We take
the good with the bad/Yeah."
The most annoying song is "Right
of Way." The track begins with Stoll
steimer whining (over a bassline)
that, "These feelings I have can't be
wrong/The signs say I've got the right
of way." At this point, a sort of surf
guitar noodling is added while Stoll
steimer continues, "Self-destruction is
my destination/This is how it pains
my days," and then finishes with the
same blandness.
Which isn't to say the album doesn't
have its moments. Tracks like "No Re
grets," "Not That Social" and especial
ly "C'mon C'mon" are full of energy
and swagger. Considering most of the
members have been playing music for
less than five years, they're a tight
band with decent musicianship.
However, the talent the band does dis
play is thinly spread across tlfe al
bum's 12 tracks.
Like the countless other bands be
ing hailed as the return of rock 'n'
roll, The Von Bondies best serve as a
persuasive argument for dusting off
those albums from the 1970s by
groups like Television and Suicide.
Those contemplating purchasing
"Pawn Shoppe Heart" should skip it
and pick up a copy of "Electric War
rior" instead.
Contact the Pulse columnist at
helenschumacher@dailyemerald.com.
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Extra large selection of
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Have delicious, quality sushi in seconds. Pull from a
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sushi bar, or order from our extensive menu. Visit
us soon for lunch or dinner1
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