Seduced and Abandoned - Stefania Sandrelli

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'A Matter of Honor' or 'Séduite et abandonnée' or 'Seduced and Abandoned')

Directed by Pietro Germi
Italy 1964

Shotgun weddings, kidnapping, attempted murder, emergency dental work - the things Don Vincenzo will do to restore his family's honor! Pietro Germi's Seduced and Abandoned was the follow-up to his international sensation Divorce Italian Style, and in many ways it's even more audacious a rollicking yet raw series of escalating comic calamities that ensue in a small village when sixteen-year-old Agnese (the beautiful Stefania Sandrelli) loses her virginity at the hands of her sister's lascivious fiancé. Merciless and mirthful, Seduced and Abandoned skewers Sicilian social customs and pompous patriarchies with a sly, devilish grin.

***

Pietro Germi's maliciously funny examination (1964) of the marriage rites of Sicily, done up in a crowded, cartoonish style that suggests the work of Preston Sturges. The wit may be closer to Evelyn Waugh--the jokes are cruel and corrosive, and why not when the subject is sexual hypocrisy? Stefania Sandrelli, as the girl in desperate need of a husband, maintains a beatific calm in the midst of the manic goings-on.

Excerpt of Dave Kehr's review at the Chicago Reader located HERE

Poster

Theatrical Release: July 15th, 1964

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DVD Review: Criterion Collection - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Criterion Collection - Spine # 350 - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:58:00
Video	1.85:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.3 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Collection Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Commedia all'italiana, Germi Style, featuring new interviews with screenwriters Furio Scarpelli and Luciano Vincenzoni and Italian film scholar Mario Sesti • Interviews with actors Stefania Sandrelli and Lando Buzzanca • Stefania Sandrelli screen test • Theatrical trailer • Liner notes essay by film scholar Irene Bignardi DVD Release Date: August 29th, 2006 Keep Case Chapters: 23

Comments:

What a wonderful film - filled with Italian charm and joy/pain of life from gifted Pietro Germi (Divorce Italian Style).

Criterion's transfer has somewhat of a landmark in that it is their first widescreen feature that is pictureboxed - with a black border circumventing the frame. Up until now they have only followed this practice with 1.33 :1 ratio films. For a detailed description of picture-boxing see our Kind Heart and Coronets review HERE. It appears the practice that many DVD-o-philes detest is branching out to Criterion's widescreen features as well.

The image looks extremely impressive - very sharp throughout most, no damage, bright whites and pitch blacks. I'll wager the film looks as good as it ever has. Subtitles are excellent. Extras include revealing interviews with nostalgic appreciation of the film and Sandrelli's screen test. The liner notes (and cover) have some cute cartoonish art and include an essay by Irene Bignardi.

I'm very glad I was able to se this film, which I enjoyed immensely. The fact that it was Criterion who rendered the transfer makes that entertainment all the more assertive. My Criterion reviews are getting quite boring - no complaints... whatsoever. The price, especially pre-order, makes it a fabulous deal. We strongly recommend!