Too much of everything

Some things I liked some I did not.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

La "Donna della domenica" is definitely one of my favorite books and a great movie. Despite being built on a murder story, this movie is not a thriller. In fact, it is rather a comedy on the Torinese society, spanning from wanna-be-intellectuals to the rich and the beautiful, from rustic land owners to simple immigrants. And as a comedy, it is an exceptional one!If you are looking for suspense or you are not familiar with Italian society, you should stay away from it. Also, I recommend that you need to understand Italian very well to appreciate this movie: I checked a bit the German version/subtitles, but at least 50% of the humor gets lost in the translation...

"La donna della domenica" is an outstanding film, but one that is unlikely to be fully appreciated by non-Italians, most of whom might see it as a whodunnit of sorts. Its strength lies, instead, not just with its excellent cast, but also with the caustic way in which it describes Turin's high society: full of characters that, behind their apparent stylishness and elegance, betray a penchant for hypocrisy and an inability to look further than the conventional way in which they live.It looks more like a comedy, and a well-written, witty one at that.

Books are usually better than movies from books, one may say it's a universal truth. And Fruttero&Lucentini's novel is better indeed in this case, read it for proof. But - surprise, surprise! - no bad movie at all: a bunch of excellent actors and actresses, all at ease in their roles (especially Mrs. Lina Volonghi, a great actress whose kind Italy should regret) and the feeling they are all having fun while acting (see the hilarious scene with Mastroianni among a group of prostitutes in the police station). Just good for one of those boring Sunday afternoons in winter.

"Sunday Woman" is a stylish and ribald whodunnit that has plenty of things to hold your attention when you're frankly not particularly interested in who did it or why. The murder victim is a lewd, leering, seedy old architect who makes obscene gestures at women, like a character out of Fellini's "Satyricon." His body is found bludgeoned to death by means of a large ceramic phallus. "Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword," a character in the film comments. The inspector on the case is a bemused but persistent Marcello Mastroianni. His investigations bring him in contact with some of Turin's high society: Jacqueline Bisset, the bored wife of an industrialist, and her platonic friend Jean-Louis Trintignant, a wealthy homosexual. Trintignant is himself in love with Aldo Reggiani, a records clerk who does his own investigation which leads to his own murder. The film has a nice rhythm, some well-written dialog, and makes use of fascinating Piedmontese locales in and around Turin. Mastroianni, as always, is very effective. The director, Luigi Comencini, gained a substantial reputation in the past with films like "Bread, Love and Dreams" and "Everybody Go Home!"