The Story
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From 02/04 to 08/04
ODEONCamden Town
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An original comedy that casts Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren in three different stories set throughout Italy. Witty and unforgettable, this gem from master filmmaker Vittorio de Sica was the 1964 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film.
Yesterday
Adelina of Naples
Set starting in the poorer Naples of 1954, Adelina (Sophia Loren) supports her unemployed husband Carmine (Marcello Mastroianni) and child by selling black market cigarettes. When she doesn't pay a fine, her furniture is to be repossessed. However her neighbors assist her by hiding the furniture. A lawyer who lives in the neighborhood advises Carmine that as the fine and furniture is in Adelina's name, she will be imprisoned. However, Italian law stipulates that women cannot be imprisoned when pregnant or within six months after a pregnancy. As a result, Adelina schemes to purposely stay pregnant. After seven children in eight years, Carmine is seriously exhausted and Adelina must make the choice of being impregnated by their mutual friend Pasquale (Aldo Giuffrè) or be incarcerated.
She finally chooses to be incarcerated, and the whole neighborhood gathers money to free her and petition for her pardon, which finally comes and she is reunited with her husband Carmine and the children.
| Written by | Eduardo De Filippo Isabella Quarantotti |
|---|---|
| Starring | Sophia Loren Marcello Mastroianni Aldo Giuffrè Agostino Salvietti Lino Mattera |
| Song | Core 'ngrato (aka "Catari, Catari") Music by Salvatore Cardillo Lyrics by Riccardo Cordiferro |
Today
Anna of Milan
Anna (Sophia Loren dressed by Christian Dior), the wife of a mega‑rich industrialist, has a lover named Renzo (Marcello Mastroianni). Whilst driving together in her husband's Rolls‑Royce, Anna must determine which is the most important to her happiness – Renzo or the Rolls. Renzo rethinks his infatuation with Anna when she expresses no concern when they nearly run over a child, and end up crashing the Rolls‑Royce. She is infuriated by the damage to her Rolls‑Royce, and ends up getting another passing driver to take her home, leaving Renzo on the road.
| Written by | Billa Zanuso Alberto Moravia Cesare Zavattini |
|---|---|
| Starring | Sophia Loren Marcello Mastroianni Armando Trovajoli |
| Song | La partita di pallone Written by Carlo Alberto Rossi and Edoardo Vianello Performed by Edoardo Vianello |
Tomorrow
Mara of Rome
Mara (Loren) works as a prostitute from her apartment, servicing a variety of high class clients including Augusto (Mastroianni), the wealthy, powerful and neurotic son of a Bologna industrialist.
Mara's elderly neighbor's grandson visiting them is a handsome and callow young man studying for the priesthood but not yet ordained who falls in love with Mara. To the shrieking dismay of his grandmother, the young man wishes to leave the clergy to be with Mara, or to join the French Foreign Legion, if Mara rejects him. Mara vows to set the young man on the path of righteousness back to the seminary and vows celibacy for a week, if she succeeds. For this, she enlists the reluctant Augusto. Mara then provides a strip tease at the climax of the film.
| Written by | Eduardo De Filippo |
|---|---|
| Starring | Sophia Loren Marcello Mastroianni Tina Pica Giovanni Ridolfi Gennari Di Gregorio |
| Song | Abat-jour (Salomé) Composed by Robert Stolz, Bruno Cherubini Lyrics by Ennio Neri Sung by Henry Wright |