Il merlo maschio

The love song of the male blackbird

Lando BUZZANCA (1935-2022), who died shortly before Christmas 2022, can once again be seen in an Italian erotic comedy (Commedia Sexy). He plays a cellist in Verona who suffers from being overlooked by everyone. A colleague from the arena orchestra (Lino TOFFOLO) always has nasty jokes with him. One day the cellist accidentally discovers that the breathtaking figure of his wallflower wife Costanza (WOW!: Laura ANTONELLI) does have an effect on other men. From then on, he encourages his wife to regularly appear naked in front of other men. Of course, this is becoming more and more psychopathological...

Allusion is to a sexual pathological phenomenon called candaulism, which is named after a story told by Herodotus. King Kandaules ensures that his retainer Gyges sees the beautiful queen naked. By the way, that is also the story that EUROPEAN FILM AWARD winner Kristin SCOTT THOMAS tells in THE ENGLISH PATIENT around a campfire in the Sahara.

Above all, this film by Pasquale Festa CAMPANILE is about showing Laura ANTONELLI's breathtaking body in the Eva costume as often as possible. The woman's body is illuminated intensively, while Mr. BUZZANCA is only photographed modestly. Nowadays a film like this couldn't be made, except as a Polish-Italian NETFLIX production...😜

This is one of those vaguely arty, Freudian-based Italian sex comedies that were popular in the early 70's. It's very similar to Lucio Fulci's "The Eroticist" and to the director Festa's earlier "The Libertine", but it's not as cleverly satirical as the former and doesn't quite have the effective story of the latter.

The film re-teams Lando Buzzanca and Laura Antonelli from "The Eroticist". Buzzanca plays a bass cellist who's frustrated by his own ignominy--no one seems to ever notice him or remember his name, and he lives perpetually in the shadow of his famous virtuoso violinist father. While accompanying his wife to a doctor's appointment, he becomes obsessed when he notices other men staring at his his wife's gorgeous naked body (apparently he was not previously aware he was married to Laura Antonelli). He concocts increasing elaborate--and public--schemes to get both strangers and colleagues to see his wife in the altogether. His wife's body replaces the bass cello as his "instrument" for getting the attention of the world, and he has strange Freudian dreams where his snooty conductor conducts he and his wife's lovemaking or where he takes Antonelli out of his bass cello case and "plays" her naked backside with a violin bow.

Buzzanca is always very good in these manic-type rolls. Antonelli has been sexier in other films like when she played a guilty but lust-crazed nun in "The Eroticist", a cruelly unfaithful wife in "Venus in Furs", and an improbably sexy maid who seduces both a father and teenage son in "Malizia". However, with the possible exception of "The Ventian Lady" when she was considerably older, this might be her most perpetually naked role, and--good god!--what an incredible body she has here. (Warning: heterosexual male viewers who watch this movie may find themselves being sexually aroused by bass cellos for years afterwards). The direction by the talented Italian comedy director Pasquale Campanile Festa is good as always. This is marred only by a rather lame ending, (but since I saw this on a bootleg perhaps I got a bad cut of this). It's perhaps not the highest of compliments, but this is certainly one of the better Italian sex comedies of the era.

In my opinion this is one of the best Laura Antonelli comedies of her whole career. There can be no doubt she did better films per se – Malizia, Mogliamante, L'Innocente – but when it comes to a truly successful comedy, „Il Merlo Maschio" is definitely high in rank in her filmography.

Niccolo Vivaldi is a talented, but failing cellist at the famous Verona amphitheatre orchestra. Slightly neurotic, he feels disregarded, disrespected, unfairly treated all the time. When his wife, little dorky but likable peasant girl Costanza, needs to go into rehab, Niccolo is there when she undresses in front of the doctors – and all of a sudden he realizes his wife is a bombshell like no other! And how to get the admiration he desperately seeks. Niccolo starts out easy by taking pictures of Costanza in the nude, and gains self-esteem after showing them to his colleagues. But his role plays and increasingly wild sexual phantasies put their relationship to the test...

Lando Buzzanca is just fantastic to watch as Niccolo, going from deep depression up to maximum excitement and then anew. Of course it's a role taylor-made for the comedy veteran Buzzanca, and he succeeds in generating sympathy for underdog Niccolo right from the very first minute.

Costanza is played by the young Laura Antonelli, in 1971 still not too well-known. But films like this one surely made her stand out. Laura is just adorable as the simple housewife, and she does some really funny „peasant" dialect in the Italian version. Her dialogs are just hilarious, and although the part lacks some depth, she acts very decently and is definitely convincing.

There can be no denying the script relies heavily on the typical „sexy commedia all'italiana" ingredients - frivolous dialogs and female nudity packed in funny and awkward situations. And oh boy, this film delivers plenty of that. Or let's say, Laura delivers plenty of that. She is a feast for the eyes, and there is a variety of very memorable scenes. Truly awesome.

But at the same token, this is not just a Laura inspection. We take part in Niccolo's career efforts at the orchestra, there is a surprising amount of not too far-fetched psychological elements, and the two get into a marriage crisis due to Niccolo's desires. There is considerable substance beyond the nudity. Music plays a huge part itself, and the score provides wonderful renditions and variations of classical tunes, combined with very pleasant original music.

However, the situations that Niccolo puts Costanza in during the final twenty minutes, are going a little over the top, some scenes felt repetitive. But this is complaining from a very high level, as the movie remains entertaining until the end.

As said, this is a very good comedy with a funny script and a great pair of actors. Laura Antonelli fans mustn't miss this!

It should be a comedy but in reality it is the drama of a man who feels crushed by life is discovered by friends and colleagues. His only point of pride is the beautiful wife who will become an obsession for him that he will want to show off at any cost and pay the price.