''The Most Beautiful Wife'' () is a 1970 Italian film directed by

Damiano Damiani Damiano Damiani (23 July 1922 – 7 March 2013) was an Italian screenwriter, film director, actor and writer. Poet and director Pier Paolo Pasolini referred to him as "a bitter moralist hungry for old purity", while film critic Paolo Mereghett ...

, based on the 1965 case of Franca Viola, who challenged the still frequent southern Italian custom of kidnapping and raping a prospective bride for refusing to marry her abductor. It was the debut film for the then 14-year-old

Ornella Muti Francesca Romana Rivelli (born 9 March 1955), professionally known as Ornella Muti, is an Italian actress. Among the best-known Italian actresses, in her career, she has worked across various genres, working alongside Italian directors such as ...

Synopsis

Francesca is a young peasant girl who has caught the eye of Vito, a promising mafioso. She is initially pleased with the man's attention and the two agree to wed. This bliss is short lived as she soon discovers that he is a violent, jealous, and possessive man that expects complete and abject obedience from her, causing her to rebel against the impending marriage after witnessing a mob killing. Unwilling to lose face, Vito decides to imprison Francesca on a farm, where he repeatedly rapes her. His goal is to force her into a ''fuitina'' or "rehabilitating marriage", as customs dictate that a woman should marry the one who took her virginity, whether the encounter was willing or not. Francesca is eventually able to obtain freedom and tries to seek legal justice. She soon discovers that no one is willing to support her. They either fear that Vito will seek revenge or believe his lies that Francesca is only causing issues because he refused to marry her after discovering she was a promiscuous woman who lied about being a virgin. Despite this, Francesca perseveres and reports him to the police. The resulting scandal and attempts by her parents to stop her from pursuing justice makes life difficult for Francesca, however in the end she triumphs and Vito is thrown in jail.

Cast

as Francesca Cimarosa * Alessio Orano as Vito Juvara * Pierluigi Aprà as

Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign poli ...

Lieutenant *

Tano Cimarosa Tano Cimarosa, (real name Gaetano Cisco; 1 January 1922 – 24 May 2008) was an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director. He participated in more than fifty movies. He played the "Blacksmith" in the Oscar-winning film ''Cinema Paradiso'' fr ...

as Gaetano Cimarosa * Joe Sentieri as Poidomani * Amerigo Tot as Don Antonino Stella * Enzo Andronico as Vito Juvara's Lawyer

Production

Filming took place in Cinisi,

Partinico Partinico ( Sicilian: ''Partinicu'', Ancient Greek: ''Parthenikòn'', Παρθενικόν) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. It is from Palermo and from Trapani. Main sights *Church of ''San ...

Trappeto __NOTOC__ Trappeto (''Trappitu'' in Sicilian) is an Italian municipality of 3,123 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Palermo. It is located in the north-west part of Sicily, and is part of the metropolitan area of Palermo. Trappeto is from ...

, and also in the ruins of Gibellina and Santa Ninfa. Actress Ornella Muti was brought in to portray Francesca Cimarosa, her film debut. As she was fourteen at the time of filming, the movie was subject to strict film regulation, one of which was no depiction of an on screen rape. Damiani and the other writers chose to have the script differ in several ways from the real life kidnapping, rape, and prosecution. Scholar Niamh Cullen notes that Francesca's behaviors bore more similarity to feminists of the 60s and 70s, whereas upon rescue the real life Franca had reportedly accepted the impending marriage as a grim and unwanted inevitability. Reactions from the police and her family also differed, as she noted that reporting showed that her family had been very supportive and the police investigation implied no reluctance to prosecute.

Reception

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

reviewed the film favorably, praising the cinematography and the acting of Ornella Muti, comparing her favorably to

Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress. A child model starting at the age of 11 months, Shields gained widespread notoriety at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby (1978 film), Pretty Baby ...

Louis Malle Louis Marie Malle (; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a filmmaker difficult to pin down", Malle made document ...

's ''

Pretty Baby Pretty Baby may refer to: * ''Pretty Baby'' (1950 film), a comedy film featuring Dennis Morgan and Betsy Drake * ''Pretty Baby'' (1978 film), a drama film featuring Brooke Shields ** ''Pretty Baby'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the film ...

'', stating that "She carries the role magnificently, especially when battling for her self-respect against heavy odds."

Awards

* Grolla d'oro for Best Debut Actress (Ornella Muti, won)

References

External links

* 1970 films 1970 drama films Italian drama films 1970s Italian-language films Films set in Sicily Films directed by Damiano Damiani Films scored by Ennio Morricone Drama films based on actual events 1970s Italian films Violence against women in Italy {{1970s-Italy-film-stub