Alfredo, Alfredo is a 1972 Italian comedy film co-written and directed by Pietro Germi.
Contents
Plot
The film, told mostly in flashback, tells the story of a timid bank clerk living in Ascoli Piceno, Italy, who finds himself swept into dating and marrying a possessive woman. He endures stress as her behavior in their marriage becomes increasingly domineering, and faces obstacles in leaving her for a more amenable woman, in a time when divorce was still illegal in Italy.
Cast
Dustin Hoffman: Alfredo Sbisà
Stefania Sandrelli: Maria Rosa Cavarani
Carla Gravina: Carolina Bettini
Duilio Del Prete: Oreste
Saro Urzì: Father of Mariarosa
Emanuela Fallini:the shaman
Danika La Loggia: Mother of Maria Rosa
Clara Colosimo: Mother of Carolina
Gino Baghetti: Father of Alfredo
Vittorio Duse: judge
Mario Frera: assistant of the judge
Renzo Marignano: doctor
Production
Germi's first choice for the Alfredo role was Nino Manfredi. The film was completely shot in Ascoli Piceno, Italy.
Awards
Golden Globe nominee: Best Foreign Language Film
David di Donatello: Best Film
U.S. National Board of Review nominee: Best Foreign Language Film
Reception
The New York Times critic Nora Sayre found the film not "a bad movie" but "merely a disappointment because of the immense talent involved", criticizing the choice of Hoffman as the lead as "he simply can't appear to be a native of a provincial Italian town—any more than Dwight Eisenhower could have convinced us that he was a sleek Roman count", and considering the film as "a rather diluted version" of Divorce Italian Style and Seduced and Abandoned.