Pietro Germi
Signore E Signori

"Amici Miei" was certainly one of the most innovative and important works of Italian cinema. Marital infidelity, hypocrisy, and the contrasts between various social classes are obviously themes particularly dear to our culture, and Pietro Germi was one of the first to highlight these "uncomfortable" traits for the proper Italy of past decades. Germi's art was to make public the most intimate side of our lives: the family quarrels (in which a slap often escapes), the betrayals and rivalries we see, are impeccable portrayals of daily reality. For this reason, "Signore e signori" (and not "Signore e signori buonasera") is the ancestor of "Amici Miei" and one of the best examples of Italian comedy.

There are three episodes: in the first, the legendary Alberto Lionello pretends to be impotent to sleep with the wife of his doctor friend; in the second, Gastone Moschin leaves his wife and children to run away with the gorgeous (I repeat: GORGEOUS) Virna Lisi, but fate will be against him and force him to return to his usual family life; in the third, six respectable citizens, some shopkeepers, some pharmacists, some doctors... sleep with a minor and fear being convicted of adultery.

Without a doubt, the most beautiful is certainly the second episode; Moschin outdoes himself by offering a performance far superior to that in "Amici Miei"; from a passive, distracted, exhausted family father to an active, passionate lover, ready to leave everything and everyone for his love: the cashier Milena, played by a beautiful and talented Virna Lisi. Olga Villi (who plays Lionello's wife) is Ippolita, the cousin of Moschin's wife; thanks to the connections she enjoys in the clerical environment, she manages to temporarily arrest Moschin and permanently remove his beloved Milena.

Also noteworthy is the third episode, in which Lionello and others are suspects for adultery, and the terrifying Ippolita again (just to save appearances) solves the situation in a rather unorthodox way. Olga Villi, although never the protagonist, is the absolute identification of the active woman, who frees herself from the role of a simple housewife and actively engages in social life.

This film is Germi's consecration, offering us a splendid/despicable panorama of an Italy that talks behind its back and only looks at appearances. Fellini and De Sica are superior only in fame; in creative genius, the challenge is particularly arduous.