History Film / DivorceItalianStyle

''Divorce Italian Style'' (''Divorzio all'italiana'') is a 1961 BlackComedy by Italian filmmaker Pietro Germi. The film details [[ImpoverishedPatrician impoverished]] Sicilian aristocrat Don Ferdinando "Fefè" Cefalù (Creator/MarcelloMastroianni) who lives in a ruin of a stately mansion with his large family that includes his father, a notorious gambler and womanizer; his saintly mother; his OldMaid sister (often joined by her boyfriend, who works as an undertaker); his loving and smothering wife, Rosalia. Also occupying the mansion (in fact a greater part of it) are Fefè's unpleasant Uncle Calogero (who actually owns the place thanks to bailing out Fefè;s father) and his family, the most important of whom from Fefè's perspective is Calogero's beautiful 16-year old daughter, Angela, whom he’s infatuated with, and whom he discovers returns his affections.

* DoubleStandard: In-universe, it is noted how the relevant law in the Italian penal code referred to a man avenging honor, thus seemingly ruling out any woman being able to benefit from the provision. Fefè is actually inspired by the case of a murderess, who received a relatively light sentence of 8 years for killing the man who impregnated and abandoned her. However, the provision of the Italian code demanded a maximum sentence of 7 years [[spoiler: and Fefè himself ends up receiving 3 years- slightly less than the minimum]], so the system is definitely favoring men over women when it comes to HonorKilling.

* KarmaHoudini: Ferdinando ends up being one for the most part [[spoiler: He's imprisoned for 3 years- slightly less than the minimum sentence for the murder he committed- and is when he returns home is welcomed as a hero by the whole town. He marries Angela and ends up happier than he's been in years. The only wrinkle on everything turning out perfectly for him is that the very last scene indicates that Angela will soon be cuckolding him, although he's oblivious to it.]]

* VillainProtagonist: Ferdinando is plotting to murder his loving wife for about 90% of the film and leching on Angela for the other 10%, but thanks to his POV and the film's humorous tone, he's oddly sympathetic.

''Divorce Italian Style'' (''Divorzio all'italiana'') is a 1961 BlackComedy by Italian filmmaker Pietro Germi. The film details [[ImpoverishedPatrician impoverished]] Sicilian aristocrat Don Ferdinando "Fefè" Cefalù (Creator/MarcelloMastroianni) who lives in a ruin of a stately mansion with his large family that includes his father, a notorious gambler and womanizer; his saintly mother; his OldMaid sister (often joined by her boyfriend, who works as an undertaker); his loving and smothering wife, Rosalia. Also occupying the mansion (in fact a greater part of it) are Fefè's unpleasant Uncle Calogero (who actually owns the place thanks to bailing out Fefè;s father) and his family, the most important of whom from Fefè's perspective is Calogero's beautiful 16-year old daughter, Angela, who he loves/lusts after, and who he discovers returns his affections.

The film revolves around Ferdinando's plot to escape marriage with Rosalia and to marry Angela by murdering Rosalia. He seeks to receive a slap-on-the-wrist for the crime, seizing on a provision of the Italian penal code of the time which allowed a "wronged" husband to receive a light sentence for killing his wife (and usually her lover as well) if he catches them "in the act". So, Fefè decides to set Rosalia up to have an affair, so that he can murder her and benefit from the code provision. HilarityEnsues.

* HonorKilling: Central to the plot is a practice of HonorKilling done by cuckolded men which was effectively endorsed by the legal system of the time.

* TheMafia: One of the prominent citizens of the town to whom Ferdinando pays respect is TheDon who heads the local Mafia. Early in the film, Ferdinando considers seeking him out in order to arrange Rosalia's murder, but rules it out because he'd be indebted to The Don for the rest of his life. Still, The Don does help Fefè by disclosing to him the location where Rosalia and her lover were holed up.

* {{Cuckold}}: The plot more or less revolves around Ferdinando setting up his own cuckolding, and after Rosalia runs away with her lover, people start calling him this behind his back and later on, to his face.
** CuckoldHorns: Ferdinando [[AstroTurf creates fake letters]] warning him of his cuckolding, some of which include a caricature of himself with stag's horns.

The film revolves around Ferdinando's plot to escape marriage with Rosalia and to marry Angela by murdering Rosalia. He seeks to receive a slap-on-the-writ for the crime, seizing on a provision of the Italian penal code of the time which allowed a "wronged" husband to receive a light sentence for killing his wife (and usually her lover as well) if he catches them "in the act". So, Fefè decides to set Rosalia up to have an affair, so that he can murder her and benefit from the code provision. HilarityEnsues.

* VillainProtagonist: Ferdinando is plotting to murder his loving wife for about 90% of the film and leching on Angela for the other 10%, but thanks to his POV and the film's humorous tone, he's oddly sympathetic.

''Divorce Italian Style'' (''Divorzio all'italiana'') is a 1961 BlackComedy by Italian filmmaker Pietro Germi. The film details [[ImpoverishedPatrician impoverished]] Sicilian aristocrat Don Ferdinando " Fefè" Cefalù who lives in a ruin of a stately mansion with his large family that includes his father, a notorious gambler and womanizer; his saintly mother; his OldMaid sister (often joined by her boyfriend, who works as an undertaker); his loving and smothering wife, Rosalia. Also occupying the mansion (in fact a greater part of it) are Fefè's unpleasant Uncle Calogero (who actually owns the place thanks to bailing out Fefè;s father) and his family, the most important of whom from Fefè's perspective is Calogero's beautiful 16-year old daughter, Angela, who he loves/lusts after, and who he discovers returns his affections.

* DoubleStandard: In-universe, it is noted how the relevant law in the Italian penal code refers to a man avenging honor, thus seemingly ruling out any woman being able to benefit from the provision. Fefè is actually inspired by the case of a murderess, who received a relatively light sentence of 8 years for killing the man who impregnated and abandoned her. However, the provision of the Italian code demands a maximum sentence of 7 years [[spoiler: and Fefè himself ends up receiving 3 years- slightly less than the minimum]], so the system is definitely favoring men over women when it comes to HonorKilling.

The film revolves around Ferdinando's plot to escape marriage with Rosalia and to marry Angela by murdering Rosalia. He seeks to receive a slap-on-the-writ for the crime, seizing on a provision of the Italian penal code which allows a "wronged" husband to receive a light sentence for killing his wife (and usually her lover as well) if he catches them "in the act". So, Fefè decides to set Rosalia up to have an affair, so that he can murder her and benefit from the code provision. HilarityEnsues.

''Film/DivorceItalianStyle'' (''Divorzio all'italiana'') is a 1961 BlackComedy by Italian filmmaker Pietro Germi. The film details [[ImpoverishedPatrician impoverished]] Sicilian aristocrat Don Ferdinando " Fefè" Cefalù who lives in a ruin of a stately mansion with his large family that includes his father, a notorious gambler and womanizer; his saintly mother; his OldMaid sister (often joined by her boyfriend, who works as an undertaker); his loving and smothering wife, Rosalia. Also occupying the mansion (in fact a greater part of it) are Fefè's unpleasant Uncle Calogero (who actually owns the place thanks to bailing out Fefè;s father) and his family, the most important of whom from Fefè's perspective is Calogero's beautiful 16-year old daughter, Angela, who he loves/lusts after, and who he discovers returns his affections.

** CuckoldsHorns: Ferdinando [[AstroTurf creates fake letters]] warning him of his cuckolding, some of which include a caricature of himself with stag's horns.

''Film/DivorceItalianStyle'' (''Divorzio all'italiana'') is a 1961 BlackComedy by Italian filmmaker Pietro Germi. The film details [[ImpoverishedPatrician impoverished]] Sicilian aristocrat Don Ferdinando " Fefè" Cefalù who lives in a ruin of a stately mansion with his large family...


The film revolves around Ferdinando's plot to escape marriage with his devoted but ugly and annoying wife, Rosalia, in order to marry his beautiful and much younger cousin, Angela. He seizes on a provision of the Italian penal code which allows a "wronged" husband to receive a light sentence for killing his wife (and usually her lover as well) if he catches them "in the act". So,Fefè decides to set Rosalia up to have an affair, so that he can murder her and benefit from the code provision. HilarityEnsues.

* DeathEqualsDivorce: The entire plot revolves around this trope- Fefè plots to murder his wife since he can't divorce her. In fact, the film's title amounts to a bitter joke that his plot is the Italian version of divorce.