Made In Italy (1965)

An anthology of vignettes about contemporary Italian life circa 1965, each with its own section ("Women", "Family", "Church" etc.) with a wraparound story about a group of Italian emigrants on a plane bound for Sweden where they have jobs waiting for them. As with all such movies of this type, it's a hit and miss affair, mostly miss. Directed by Nanni Loy, who co-wrote the script along with Ettore Scola. The stories vary in length. Some are literally just a matter of seconds like the nun gazing longingly at a wedding dress in a window. Others are longer or seem overlong like the Lothario (Walter Chiari) who takes great pains to seduce a married woman (Lea Massari, MURMUR OF THE HEART) but after he beds her, he can't wait to get rid of her. The best sequence is around 10 minutes long and it's simply about a woman (Anna Magnani) trying to cross a busy street with her family. Some are amusing, some are depressing, some are poignant. The large cast includes Alberto Sordi, Virna Lisi, Nino Manfredi, Sylva Koscina, Jean Sorel, Catherine Spaak, Rosella Falk, Marina Berti and Andrea Checchi.