Uma Viúva à Italiana

I've not seen many Italian sex comedies but from my limited exposure to them, I don't think I'll be seeking out too many more! The general consensus on this one appears to be that it's an above average example of this kind of thing, which is a bit alarming, given that in all honesty it wasn't very good. What I will say though is the Italian sex comedy definitely seems to be better than the British variety, albeit that's akin to saying you'd prefer a kick in the testicles to a punch in the throat.

The story has a man die in a car crash, leading to the scenario where his inheritance is destined to go to his no-good brothers. That is unless his wife produces his heir - cue the frantic search for a surrogate father for his sexy wife, with the brothers attempting to ward away her suitors using various means. It's a functional story for this kind of thing I guess. But most of the comedy is amazingly unfunny though - when repeat sequences of a photograph of the dead husband whose face keeps on changing are some of the most amusing moments, you know you're in trouble. The only real reason to watch this that I can see, is to see Edwige Fenech. She's always good value and here is no different, adding some class to what is otherwise a tiresome bit of nonsense.

On a side note - would some enterprising publisher PLEASE consider putting out an art book packed full of reprints of commedia sexy all'italiana film posters. The glorious film posters are legitimately the best thing about this subgenre and should be celebrated as and of themselves.

Nice, slightly dirty comedy about an inheritance, a widow with a bulky mother and an unborn child. Everything will end well but there will be more children than necessary.

Others have filled in the details of the film itself.

Another reviewer said, "I can even pay this the ultimate compliment for an Italian sex romp and say that it would have been entertaining comedy even WITHOUT the sex. (I know--the mind boggles)."

No sex???? That whole sentence is nonsense syllables. (grin).

I've somehow managed to become a kind of connoisseur of 70's Italian sex comedies lately, so trust me when I say this is definitely one of the better ones. It has a GREAT plot: a man is killed in a car accident while rushing home to have sex with his wife. Because he died in testate, his considerable inheritance is to be split among his wife and his eleven no-account brothers. However, the dead man's scheming mother-in-law finds a loophole. If the wife (her daughter) is pregnant, the inheritance is all hers. And since she has 300 days to give birth to the "heir" (do the math there), she can easily make use of a surrogate father (if she hurries) to produce this heir. But where will she ever find a willing surrogate? Well, since the wife is played by the voluptuous Edwige Fenech, THAT is certainly not going to be a problem. In fact, the brothers, many of whom are low-level mafiosi, have to recruit a bunch of goons to keep away the mob of male suitors who want to "console" this "inconsolable widow", but then they even have to worry these virile toughs might themselves prove TOO right for the job.

Fenech's character herself goes from a shy, demure woman manipulated by her grasping mother to a more than active participant in the scheme, justifying herself all the way in hilarious monologues with her dead husbands photograph (which keeps changing expressions). Fenech here shows why she was the reigning queen of 70's sex comedies. Even with the usual bad English dubbing, she delivers a very funny performance that would be worthwhile even if she didn't take her clothes off (but, of course, she DOES take her clothes off too). Fenech managed to work with pretty much all the 70's Italian sex comedy directors from the best (Sergio Martino, Lucio Fulci) to the relative hacks (Michele Massimo Tarantini). The director of this one, Mario Laurenti, with whom Fenech also made "Ubalda, All Naked and Warm", "Vice in the Family", and "Schoolteacher in a Boy's College" among others, was kind of in the middle of the pack, but he definitely does an adequate job here. But it would have been hard for any director to screw this up with such a great concept and such sexy AND genuinely talented leading lady.

I can even pay this the ultimate compliment for an Italian sex romp and say that it would have been entertaining comedy even WITHOUT the sex. (I know--the mind boggles). Recommended.