The Devil In Love is interesting material, coming from Machiavelli and set during the Pazzi Conspiracy, 8 years of war between the Medici in Florence and the Church in Rome in the late 15th century. It thus combines the interest director Scola has taken over the years in convincing historical detail (here with Da Vinci and Savonarola) and his taste for broad popular comedy.
The most stunning thing about the film is the use of color (cinematographer Aldo Tonti) : Gassman's sweeping appearance all in red, the costumes in orange, pink, purple and yellow.
Unfortunately the jazzy music, the anachronisms, the use of zooms and the bizarre casting of an elderly Mickey Rooney as the sidekick distract from this pleasant opulence.
The production values are ultimately marred by a lack of taste, a kind of crude vulgarity that turns up unfortunately in some other Scola films.
Much better is the way someone like Mario Monicelli combined historical consciousness with humor in his film about the Crusades
