The Birds, the Bees and the Italians (1966)

Director: Pietro Germi
Writers: Pietro Germi, Agenore Incrocci
Stars: Virna Lisi, Gastone Moschin, Alberto Lionello
Runtime: 115 minutes        

Plot: An anthology film which is a comedy that presents three storylines, all set in the Italian town of Treviso.

Review: If ever a title suited a film, it's "The Birds, the Bees and the Italians," a cunning, beautifully professional and extremely funny comedy. In three linked episodes, he mercilessly and hilariously skewers the hypocrisy and extramarital prowling of a group of urban sophisticates posing as community pillars.

The episodes are good, better and best. Number One introduces the crowd in a night on the town, at a bawdy party that tapers off to a howling payoff. Somewhat cushioning this splashy decadence is the second, longer, chapter, when a bank official desperately bolts home and family, determined to claim happiness with a gentle shop girl despite the law, the church, friends and relatives. But the film is at its boldest and most scathing in the final section, when the pillars of the town land in hot water after cooperatively enticing a voluptuous country girl who turns out to be underage. It wouldn't be fair to reveal the twists, turns and denouement of this perceptive episode, but Mr. Germi, as only he could, brings it off with taste and sting.

Reviewed by Mohaiminul Islam