director
Pietro Germi
screenplay
Leo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Pietro Germi, Tullio Pinelli
cinematography
Aiace Parolin
editing
Sergio Montanari
music
Carlo Rustichelli
cast
Dustin Hoffman, Stefania Sandrelli, Carla Gravina, Saro Urzì, Duilio Del Prete, Ettore Geri, Vittorio Dusi, Enzo Cannavale
production
R.P.A., Rizzoli Film - Francoriz Productions
country
Italy, 1972
format
35mm, color
lenght
110 min
synopsis
Alfredo Sbisà, a shy and retiring bank clerk, is in love with pharmacist Mariarosa. A friend intervenes on his behalf; he meets her, they become engaged and eventually marry. Mariarosa, who was already a jealous person, becomes more so after marriage. When she becomes pregnant, Alfredo is sent to sleep in the cellar, but finds a way to escape. During one of his nocturnal peregrinations he meets Carolina, a pleasant girl who seems willing to give him affection without ties. They become lovers and it is with her that he seeks refuge. He becomes a supporter of the divorce lobby, and when it wins through, he legally dissolves his own marriage. He is a free man again, but Carolina seizes her opportunity and Alfredo once again finds himself tangled up in the bonds of matrimony.
