Seduced & Abandoned - Criterion Collection (1964)

The graceful, biting, deadpan humor of Italian director Pietro Germi has no parallel; it fuses the sly wit of Ernst Lubitsch with the bilious social critique of Luis Bunuel. In Seduced and Abandoned, the blackest of black comedies, a young girl named Agnese (the delectable Stefania Sandrelli, fresh from Germi's Divorce Italian Style) is seduced by her sister's fiance, setting in motion a series of increasingly deranged pretenses by which Agnese's apoplectic father (the volcanic Saro Urzi) attempts to salvage the family honor. Central to everything is a legal code that states if a rapist marries his victim, all wrongdoing is forgiven. Germi, appalled at this distorted justice, attacks it with propulsive satire, clawing at sexual double standards, macho hypocrisy, and small town oppression along the way. Seduced and Abandoned tears along like a race car down a steep mountain road, turning and lurching in all directions. Its exhilarating momentum escalates into an outright horror film, with all of Italian society as the monster. The ferocity of Germi's characters and the savage ending are almost unbearable; the movie, though almost 50 years old, can still inspire outrage. Accompanied by a few sparkling extras, including a brief interview from 2002 with Sandrelli, still one of the loveliest women in cinema. --Bret Fetzer Amazon.com

Seduced and Abandoned

Black comedy skewers Sicilian mores with a sharp cinematic knife, making "Seduced" by turns funny and tragic. Agnese, the central object of all the fuss, is maltreated throughout, but the beautiful Sandrelli strikes the right balance so that our sympathies for her don't overwhelm the film's broadly humorous tone. Though the ferret-like Puglisi is tailor-made for the unsympathetic role of Peppino, this is truly Urzi's film. His volcanic Don Vincenzo serves as comic center-piece and driving force behind the whole tumultuous affair. An unbridled satiric masterpiece from director Germi. June 28, 2007

Battling For Honor--A Classic Italian Comedy Takes No Prisoners

Pietro Germi, fresh from the success of his "Divorce Italian Style" (which won a Screenplay Oscar), returns with another slapstick slice of Sicilian life. Those familiar with the genre, and particularly Germi, will recognize the same black humor and macabre sensibilities that fashioned many pictures of the day. There is the requisite machismo, the sexual double standards, the wild gesticulating, and the need to preserve family honor at all cost. Wait a minute--maybe those are the same qualities employed in many films today!

I'll be frank, if you don't know what you're getting into, "Seduced and Abandoned" may seem a bit misogynistic. There is definitely a strong division of the sexes which we're not as accustomed to seeing in modern films. However, much of the sexual warfare plays as satire--so even though the stereotypes can be somewhat dismaying, none of the characters escape unscathed. Basically, Germi sets an environment where everyone is despicable. It's the blackest of humor that can make you identify with the characters even as they are proven to be buffoons and hypocrites, and that's a real achievement of "Seduced." You accept things at face value and go with it, no matter how ludicrous it may seem.

The plot revolves around a man, who while engaged, impregnates his fiance's sister. This sets in motion a riotous chain of events as the families battle to maintain respect. It would be difficult to describe much of what happens concisely, so let's just say things continue to escalate as everyone (at one point or another) joins in the moral debate with a strong-headed opinion.

"Seduced and Abandoned" is a very funny picture that still maintains its appeal today. The cast is filled with colorful characters giving robust performances. Definitely recommended for lovers of Italian cinema or screwball comedies--this is a dark and amusing picture that doesn't play it nice and safe. That's always refreshing. KGHarris, 01/07. January 3, 2007

Hilarious!

This movie is hilarious and entertaining as can be! I loved "Divorce Italian Style" by Pietro Germi so I took the risk of buying "Seduced and Abandoned" from Criterion without ever seeing it. In my opinion I actually enjoyed it more than Divorce Italian Style! I won't repeat the plot again but the movie definitly brings you into their family. Once your sucked in it turns into a hilarious nail biter taking unexpected turns and twists. Very memorable movie I highly recommend purchasing for repeated viewings! October 16, 2006

a nice Italian comedy

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

"Seduced and Abandoned" known in Italy as "Sedotta e abbandonata" is about a family and the teenage daughter becomes pregnant. Her father is outraged and tries to exact revenge on the man who impregnated her.

The DVD contains a theatrical trailer, interviews with Stefania Sandrelli and Lando Buzzanca, Stefania Sandrelli's screen test and Commedia all'italiana, Germi Style, a special with interviews with cast and crew.

This is a really humorous film and I recommend it. September 10, 2006

Hilarious, at times painful -- don't miss this Italian Cinema classic

Criterion has released yet another classic Italian film. Director Pietro Germi's DIVORCE ITALIAN STYLE was previously released by Criterion, so I was hopeful that SEDOTTA E ABBANDONATA might also be in the works. The ensemble of actors work together brilliantly to satire Sicilian mores. SEDUCED is much darker than DIVORCE, and the beautiful Stefania Sandrelli gives a very sympathetic, at times painful performance as the victim of her societies prejudices. Sandrelli, 60 this year (still beautiful), has given us many excellent cinematic performances over the last 40-some years. Check her out in Bertolucci's masterpiece, THE CONFORMIST, and another fine film, Gabriele Muccino's THE LAST KISS/L'ULTIMO BACIO (2001; the American remake is being released this year, starring Zach Braff). And the late Leopoldo Trieste (d. Jan. '03) gives another fine comic performance, here as an impoverished nobleman. Trieste's most recognized screen role is likely that of the censorius priest in CINEMA PARADISO. Italian Cinema fans should not miss the amusing interview with Trieste, a special feature on Criterion's release of Fellini's THE WHITE SHEIK, in which he speaks of his insulting (and hilarious) first encounter with Federico Fellini. And how 'bout the cool cover art by graphic novelist Mike Allred?! Keep those Italian Cinema classics coming, Criterion. We love you!

N.B. Criterion Collection's most recent Italian Cinema release is a restored, loaded 2-disc edition of THE most beloved Italian film of all-time, BICYCLE THIEVES (LADRI DI BICICLETTE). Don't settle for the previous Image Entertainment release under the film's better known (inaccurate) title translation, The Bicycle Thief. The White Sheik - Criterion Collection Bicycle Thieves (Criterion Collection) The Conformist (Extended Edition) The Last Kiss
June 20, 2006

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