Pietro Germi

 Pietro Germi



The Railroad Man (1956)

Divorce Italian Style (1961)



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2. The Railroad Man (1956)


Pietro Germi, typically known for his Commedia all'Italiana films, went a bit more neo-realist drama with his 1956 film "The Railroad Man." The film is a coming-of-age story centering on a young boy who watches his family fracture after his alcoholic father loses his job as a train operator. What's notable about this plot is that the young boy doesn't understand the external and economic stressors that are pushing his family to extremities. The viewer completely understands, thus underlying the socio-economic factors that creates the domestic drama. "The Railroad Man," although not as laugh-out-loud funny as Germi's typical films, adheres to its neo-realist roots in pointing out the intimate problems that arise from a broken economic system.




1. Divorce Italian Style (1961)


There are certain films in which the entertainment value can't be reckoned with. Pietro Germi's 1961 comedy "Divorce Italian Style" is one of those films. It stars the iconic Marcello Mastroianni as a 37-year-old impoverished nobleman named Fernando, who daydreams of ways to murder his wife of 12 years. Eventually, he hatches a plan to leave his wife involving catching her in the act of cheating on him with her former lover. Above all else, the film is irreverent, humorous, and farcical. It's twists and turns power the comedy into absurd avenues, allowing for an entertaining as hell result. One thing is for certain: "Divorce Italian Style," while not being of great thematic reverence, certainly manages to be one of the best Italian sex comedies and perhaps one of the most entertaining films of all time.

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