Seduced and Abandoned (Italian: Sedotta e abbandonata) is a 1964 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Pietro Germi. The film is a dark satire of Sicilian social custom of bride kidnapping presented as elopement, and the Italian laws of the time on honor killing and "honor-repairing wedding". It belongs to a trilogy on Italian customs with Divorce, Italian Style and The Birds, the Bees and the Italians.
The film was screened at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival, where the lead actor Saro Urzì won a Palme d'Or. It also won a National Board of Review Award.
Contents
Plot
The film presents the tale of Agnese Ascalone, daughter of prominent quarry owner Vincenzo Ascalone, and takes place in a small town in Sicily (specifically Sciacca), as did Germi's previous film, Divorce, Italian Style. Agnese, who is 15, is "seduced" by her sister Matilde's fiancé, and has a tryst with him for which she confesses and tries to repent, only to be discovered by her mother and father when she shows symptoms of pregnancy. Vincenzo immediately demands that the man, Peppino Califano, marry his daughter. Peppino decides he does not want to marry her, as she is no longer a virgin. Vincenzo, incensed by this, plots to murder him and attempts to induce his son Antonio do so. Agnese becomes aware of the plot and escapes her home (in which her family is locking her in) to report it to the police. The police arrest both parties and both men deny anything happened. The prosecutor ultimately decides to charge Peppino with statutory rape, since she was under the age of consent which was 16. Both sets of parents pressure Agnese to marry him as there is an exception to statutory rape laws if the parties had eloped. Vincenzo forces Peppino to stage a fake kidnapping of Agnese and then marry her. Everyone appears before the magistrate to inform him of the happy ending to the story. But things do not go as planned: when the magistrate asks Agnese for confirmation, the girl bursts into tears and the magistrate deduces that she is being forced into marriage. As the Ascalones return home from the magistrate's court, the villagers mock them vehemently. This is too much for Vincenzo, who suffers a heart attack. Confined to bed, he manages to convince Agnese to marry Peppino, then dies in secret, sacrificing his life on the altar of honour so as not to delay the wedding. Matilde takes her vows to become a nun.
Cast
Stefania Sandrelli - Agnese Ascalone
Saro Urzì - Don Vincenzo Ascalone
Aldo Puglisi - Peppino Califano
Lando Buzzanca - Antonio Ascalone
Lola Braccini - Amalia Califano
Leopoldo Trieste - Baron Rizieri Zappalà
Umberto Spadaro - Cousin Ascalone, a lawyer
Paola Biggio - Matilde Ascalone
Rocco D'Assunta - Orlando Califano
Oreste Palella - Police Chief Polenza
Lina Lagalla - Francesca Ascalone
Gustavo D'Arpe - Ciarpetta the Lawyer
Rosetta Urzì - Consolata the Maid
Roberta Narbonne - Rosaura Ascalone
Vincenzo Licata - Pasquale Profumo the Undertaker
Attilio Martella - The Magistrate Judge
Adelino Campardo - Police Officer Bisigato
Salvatore Fazio - Don Mariano the Priest
Italia Spadaro - Aunt Carmela
Reception
The film was critically acclaimed.
Cannes Film Festival
Saro Urzì Palme d'or - Best Actor
Pietro Germi Best Director Candidature
National Board of Review, USA
NBR Award Top Foreign Films
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Candidature NYFCC Award Best Foreign Language Film
David di Donatello Awards
Franco Cristaldi Best Production
Pietro Germi
Best Director
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists
Saro Urzì Silver Ribbon - Best Actor
Leopoldo Trieste Silver Ribbon
- Best Supporting Actor
Pietro Germi, Luciano Vincenzoni, Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, Silver Ribbon - Best Screenplay
Carlo Egidi, Franco Cristaldi Silver Ribbon -
Best Producer
Pietro Germi Candidature to Silver Ribbon - Best Director
Pietro Germi Candidature to Silver Ribbon - Best Original Story
Pietro Germi, Luciano Vincenzoni Candidature to Silver Ribbon - Best Cinematography, B/W
Aiace Parolin Candidature to Silver Ribbon - Best Costume Design
Avellino Neorealism Film Festival
Saro Urzì Laceno d'Oro - Best Actor