''Tenderly'' (internationally released as ''The Girl Who Couldn't Say No'', also known as ''Il suo modo di fare'') is a 1968 Italian

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Franco Brusati Franco Brusati (4 August 1922 in Milan – 28 February 1993 in Rome) was an Italian screenwriter and Film director, director. Biography He directed the internationally commended film hit ''Bread and Chocolate'', one of the finest examples o ...

. It was referred as "a successful attempt to refresh the American sophisticated comedy with themes and sensibilities of today" and its style was compared to

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

's.

Plot

After fifteen years apart, a young, motivated surgeon named Franco (Segal) runs into his childhood friend Yolanda (Lisi) in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. They fall in love and travel to

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

together, but Yolanda's unpredictable, often unusual personality makes the future of their relationship highly uncertain.

Cast

Virna Lisi Verna or Virna may refer to: People * Verna Aardema (1911–2000), American author of children's books * Verna Bloom (1939–2019), American actress * Virna De Angeli (born 1976), Italian former sprinter * Virna Dias (born 1971), Brazilian retired ...

: Yolanda *

George Segal George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as ''Ship o ...

: Franco *

Lila Kedrova Yelizaveta Nikolaevna Kedrova (Russian: Елизавета Николаевна Кедрова; 9 October 1909 – 16 February 2000), known as Lila Kedrova, was a Russian-born French actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actre ...

: Yolanda's Mother *

Akim Tamiroff Akim Mikhailovich Tamiroff, russian: Аким Михайлович Тамиров (born Hovakim Tamiryants; October 29, 1899 – September 17, 1972) was an Armenian-American actor of film, stage, and television. One of the premier character act ...

: Uncle Egidio * Paola Pitagora : Widow *

Mario Brega is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...

: Cripple *

Riccardo Billi Riccardo Billi (22 April 1906 – 15 April 1982) was an Italian film actor and comedian. With Mario Riva he appeared as ''Billi & Riva'', one of the most popular Italian comic duos in the 1950s. He appeared in around 85 films between 1938 a ...

: Salesman *

Anne Cumming Anne Cumming (the pen name of Felicity Anne Cumming Mason, 14 December 1917 – 28 August 1993) was a British translator, public relations officer, polyamorist and writer. Early life Cumming was born in Walton-on-Thames in 1917, to parents Howa ...

: Franco's mother

Production

It was known during shooting as ''Runaround''.Strike Halts George Segal Movie Dorothy Manners:. The Washington Post and Times-Herald 16 Mar 1968: D10.

References

External links

* 1968 comedy films 1968 films Films directed by Franco Brusati Italian comedy films 1960s Italian films {{1960s-Italy-comedy-film-stub