1964 ‘Sedotta e abbandonata’ Directed by Pietro Germi
The film presents the tale of Agnese Ascalone, daughter of prominent miner Vincenzo Ascalone, and takes place in a small town in Sicily. Agnese is seduced by her sister Matilde's fiance, and has a tryst with him for which she confesses and tries to repent, only to be discovered by her mother and father. The film is a dark satire of Sicilian social customs and honor laws, and is very similar to Divorce, Italian Style.
诱惑与遗弃, Séduite et abandonnée, Прелъстена и изоставена, Svedená a opuštěná, Verführung auf Italienisch, Ατιμασμένη και Εγκαταλελειμμένη, Seducida y abandonada, اغوا شده و رها شده, 誘惑されて棄てられて, დაცული და მიტოვებული, 유혹당하고 버림받다, Seduzida e Abandonada, Соблазненная и покинутая, 被诱惑被遗弃的女人, 誘惑與遺棄
France
Cannes Film Festival
ItalyT
USA
France
USSR
France
France
France
Italy
USA
USSR
One of my favorite ensemble comedies. Incredibly funny, and incredibly poignant discourse about honor societies.
Matrimonio all'italiana. Hysterical. Germi was never afraid of controversy and directed huge scandals during the 60s. He was an admirer of Fellini, particularly La Dolce Vita (1960), and it shows: this is the darkest comedy of Neorealism of the entire decade... and maybe ever? It slowly escalates everything, but with each introduction of a new unforgettable and insane character, Germi saw the opportunity to introduce a social issue as well, from the implacable priest to the suicidal baron. Like a thermometer, this increases the heat exponentially as it keeps running and never runs out of fuel. Throughout, we begin watching severe punches of criticism against patriarchies, chauvinism, domestic violence, Catholic fundamentalisms, rape, and the local governments approving absurd, dehumanizing laws.…
Using a cynical approach that's quite similar to that of Wilder, Germi's "Seduced and Abandoned" incisively satirizes Sicilian socio-sexual conventions and that stiff patriarchal attitude existing in the structure. Having that craziness and chaos of "Divorce Italian Style", this sly and more unflinching take on Sicilian society obliquely highlights the upsetting picture behind its comical tone.
Maybe Germi's film doesn't properly meld its commentary and humor at times but effectively captures sexist transgressions and societal orthodoxies prevailing in the tag of familial honor that keeps hiding the intractable problems of society. All in all, "Seduced and Abandoned" establishes itself as a critical and contemporary portrait of the socio-economic conditions of Sicilian people and their debased justice system.
"It's a man's right to ask, and a woman's duty to refuse!"
Incredibly entertaining film, by turns funny and horrifying. Very similar in many ways to Divorce, Italian Style, but darker and maybe better? A cast of great characters struggling through a web of moral hypocrisies and ludicrous and suffocating customs and laws beautifully photographed. Masterpiece of Italian cinema.
I'm a bit conflicted on Seduced and Abandoned but I am also extremely impressed. While I didn't find it to be as good as Divorce Italian Style I do think that Pietro Germi hit even harder at Sicilian hypocrisy and the horrible subjugation of women in Sicily in this follow up. Divorce Italian Style absolutely confronts Sicilian misogyny being systemic and explicitly in the laws (honor killings, no divorce) but while Divorce Italian Style is primarily focused on social patriarchy (as represented through one man's murderous and objectifying viewpoint) Seduced and Abandoned prioritizes skewering the archaic "reparative marriage" laws, which mean that if a man assaults, kidnaps, or rapes a girl or woman he will not be charged with any…
This felt like Germi took one look at all of the fanfare Divorce Italian Style inspired, frowned at everybody's delight, and then decided to top it in the darkest, most unfriendly way possible. While the same type of satire is there, focused on the same general topic and the same place, where Divorce Italian Style is vicious but larger-than-life funny, Seduced and Abandoned makes you laugh through bitter tears and then slaps you in the face a couple of times for good measure before it punches you in the gut.
Stefania Sandrelli is heartbreaking as Agnese, a 15 year old girl who gets pressured and raped by her sister's fiancé in her own home. (I just realized too that Sandrelli…
☆"This is Sicily! 'No' could mean 'Yes.'"☆
NOPEtober 2021 -- Film #19 of 31
Commedia all'italiana sounds like a genre fit for NOPEtober, and though I don't know anything about it nor director Pietro Germi, I figured I would give his second most notable film Sedotta e abbandonata ["Seduced and Abandoned"] a shot. A few years after Divorce, Italian Style, Germi directed his anger towards toxic masculinity and Italian law again, especially the Sicilian honor customs of fuitina and matrimonio riparatore. Stay tuned after the summary.
In small-town Sicily, Agnese Ascalone (Stefania Sandrelli) may very well be the most sought after young lady from Sciacca. She's only 16, and the daughter of wealthy quarry owner Vincenzo Ascalone (Saro Urzì). As…
Much darker than I'd expected given my expectations of something more similar to director Pietro Germi's Divorce Italian Style (which was a black comedy like this but definitely more light-hearted), but I ended up finding this a very compelling, scathing critique on gender roles, gossip, and delusional obligations surrounding marriage. The comic timing of each sequence is immaculate, whether it be through the dialogue, the choice of reaction shots, and of course the performances. Saro Urzi is an incredible force of nature, equal parts hilarious and terrifying, as the man who insists upon sanctity and purity for his daughters while himself being anything but. Stefania Sandrelli is a deeply sympathetic presence, and there's some phenomenal supporting work from the likes of Umberto Spadaro and a very young Leopoldo Trieste ( was wondering where I'd recognised him, turns out he played the priest in Cinema Paradiso ).
"It's always a question of honor."
Sicilian social critique that touches on a plethora of issues, whether that be its patriarchal hierarchy or dehumanizing marital laws, it's all highly effective and all conducted in Pietro Germi's trademark chaotic and hysterical style. Truly gets better by the minute and with the introduction of each new wacky character.
In one moment, the father of this Sicilian family is with his buddies and computing the number of times a “real man” will ejaculate in his life (once per day between 18 and 60, so that’s 42 years * 365 days, he reasons…), and in the next, he’s calling his 16-year-old daughter a whore for even the idea that she’s been with a man. The 1964 is a landmark film in calling out the double standard, especially when you consider the attitudes shown by real Italians in Pasolini’s documentary from the same year, Love Meetings. It goes much further than that though, setting its sights on the shocking law that absolved a rapist of his crime provided he married his…
#5 movie Around the World in 80 Movies - Italy
Let me sing you a tale of a family...
...You'll be tempted to call me a liar.
I intended to open this review by claiming it borderline criminal just how overlooked director Pietro Germi's second best known attempt at Commedia all'italiana is, but I had to change my mind. The more I think about it, the firmer my belief is it IS a crime how this one's been lost in oblivion.
This genre is named for Germi's first foray into it, Divorzio all'italiana (or Divorce Italian Style, as it's known in English), although Mario Monicelli's '58-movie Big Deal on Madonna Street is regarded as the first of the genre. Comedy…
