Very enjoyable anti-romance showing the first in-person meeting between a woman from a small town in the countryside and a man from Rome who answered to her matrimonial ad and was selected by her out of seven or so respondents (for reasons we in fact learn a bit about). They also go out and meet some of her friends. From pretty early on it clearly looks like a mismatch, and there's a lot of dysfunctional communication, some of which quite funny. The film strikes a good balance between comedy and tragedy, it can make you laugh but also has a serious edge. I enjoyed getting to know the characters better over the length of the film; not all is quite as it seems in the beginning. The end is very elegant, giving just the right amount of closure but still leaving a few things open for the audience to think about. Creating a convincing end is hard, a weakness of many films, and I have rarely seen it done so well. 60 years later I wonder how typical some of the stuff was for the relation between men and women in 1960s Italy; the city vs. Countryside thing is another tension that plays out nicely, and obviously how personal contact can turn out very differently from the romantic dreams of those looking for love after having exchanged some letters. If I'd have to change one thing, I'd portray the man as slightly more sympathetic from the beginning, which would in my view add even more credibility to this; he seems somewhat exaggerated as a caricature. Although I may be wrong, and in 1963 his unpleasantness and her patience with it may in fact have been realistic enough. As I wrote, there is a certain amount of surprise later, but it's organic enough to make sense. Very good performance by Sandra Milo, who despite her attraction is credible as lonely woman to look for marriage. Recommended, 8.7 stars.
