A Masterpiece [Spoilers]

This is one of the most brilliant films ever made. It's verismo social satire within a spoken parody of Italian opera.

That's not just about the opera references in the film, but the characters we either cringe or laugh at. There is our nearly clueless protagonist, his clingy, insecure wife, his old roué of a father, the innocent virgin daughter of a controlling father, the bookish-looking sister with serious hots for the lusty heir to a funeral parlor (How is that one for irony?), the mafioso, and the chorus of gossiping villagers.

The the missed opportunities, mistakes, and the risk of discovery lead to a beautifully ironic ending. And all in Sicily.

I wish I could have seen the faces and heard the laughter of the first audiences to see this film when Angela played footsie with the sailor on the honeymoon boat.



The Fabio Principle: Puffy shirts look best on men who look even better without them.