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Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni in The Priest's Wife (1970)

Sophia Loren: Valeria Billi

The Priest's Wife

Sophia Loren credited as playing...

Valeria Billi

Photos26

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Quotes19

  • Valeria Billi: I was a singer in a pop group, The Dropouts. We worked dance halls on Sundays. Then, the Dropouts got drafted into the army and the group broke up. Besides, I was thinking Maurizio and I were going to get married. I've got some money in the bank. Instead, I was left with no job, no money, and no marriage.
  • Valeria Billi: Oh God! It's the story of my life. One doesn't tell me he's married. The other one doesn't tell me he's a priest.
  • Valeria Billi: Can't you see for yourself how unlucky I am? I even got stuck on your voice - and it was the voice of a priest. I'm so unlucky!
  • Valeria Billi: When will I see you?
  • Don Mario: I don't know. May I be frank, Valeria? It isn't proper for a priest to go running around with a girl as - as exuberant as you.
  • Valeria Billi: You find me attractive? Really?
  • Don Mario: I really have to go, Valeria.
  • Valeria Billi: Well, wait, Don Mario. Maybe what embarrasses you is the skirt? Mine, I mean. It's too short, isn't it?
  • Don Mario: I never noticed; but, frankly, the skirt is too short.
  • Don Mario: Go ahead, Valeria, unburden yourself. It will give us an idea of how you feel about your relations.
  • Valeria Billi: If you really want me to? Should I tell you about me and Maurizio?
  • Don Mario: Alright.
  • Valeria Billi: Okay, I will. As a man, he satisfied me completely. When I was with him, I was a whole woman. I was completely fulfilled, physically and emotionally. Our love was like a force of nature. Untamed. Do you understand? We had sexual intercourse frequently and it always last a long time. Because, he and I were both very highly sexed. You realize, professor, that some women are highly sexed and some women are frigid. And I just happen to be one of the highly sexed ones. To give you an example...
  • Don Mario: Yes, well, it was your social relations that I was referring to. Your relations to society; not your sexual exploits.
  • Don Mario: What sort of work would you like to do then?
  • Valeria Billi: The only thing I know how to do is sing. Before I worked with The Dropouts, I was with Cycles and before that with The Trippers. Those are music groups.
  • Don Mario: I gathered as much.
  • Valeria Billi: I was a pop singer before; then, I switched to romantic. It suited me better! Do you want me to hum something for you?
  • Don Mario: If you like.
  • Valeria Billi: [singing] My passion, my passion, my passion, My passion, my passion, my passion, It's hard to say when I miss you, It's only because I always do, My passion...
  • Don Mario: My passion, my passion. The concept is very clear.
  • Valeria Billi: Don Mario, is being lonely really a problem for being a priest? It is, isn't it? I mean, being lonely in the middle of a crowd, that's the loneliness of the priest and it's the hardest to bare. I read it at the beauty parlor.
  • Valeria Billi: Excuse me if I embarrass you sometimes.
  • Don Mario: No.
  • Valeria Billi: But, it's because I'm happy. Like now! I know, I know there can't be anything between us, but friendship.
  • Don Mario: Of course! What else could there be? And what is more beautiful than friendship between a woman and a man?
  • Valeria Billi: Well, there might be other things too.
  • Don Mario: Where's the crayfish? Crayfish is the king of the fish soup.
  • Valeria Billi: It smells delicious.
  • Waitress: Alright, it's the king of the soup; but, we're in a republic!
  • Valeria Billi: I like being with you? Do you mind?
  • Valeria Billi: Oh, there's a jinx on me. They're all married! One to a wife. The other to the Church.
  • Valeria Billi: Darling, you say you're in love with me. That you want me.
  • Don Mario: That, I didn't say.
  • Valeria Billi: Alright, you didn't say it. Priest or no priest, you're a man. At least, I hope so. So, get a move on. Do something. We can't keep playing brother and sister for the rest of our lives. Besides, I'm an only child.
  • Don Mario: "Get a move on. Do something." But, what? How? I've been thinking about it for days. Don't think I haven't.
  • Jimmy Guitar: Why did you quit the music business?
  • Valeria Billi: Well, it's a long story. Besides, now the public wants a skinny little kid, with no front, no behind and no voice. So...
  • Jimmy Guitar: I don't care about the voice. But, there's got to be something behind -and something up front.
  • Valeria Billi: I got busy, I did something. I didn't just hang around and chew my fingernails.
  • Valeria Billi: My father, when he's all there, said proceeding through channels is the longest possible way to get from one point to another. I took the short cut.
  • Monsignor Caldana: I refuse only to see those who bring shame on our children.
  • Valeria Billi: Excuse me, what shame? There's a sheep in your flock that belongs to me. Give me my sheep back and we'll call it quits.
  • Monsignor Caldana: The sheep already belongs to the Shepard.
  • Valeria Billi: And if one of them gets tired of grazing. If one of them says, listen here, Shepard, I don't like your grass anymore, it doesn't agree with me, I'd rather have coffee and cake. You shouldn't try to stop him!
  • Monsignor Caldana: You realize what you're saying?
  • Valeria Billi: Yes, that I'm in love with a man and want to marry him.
  • Monsignor Caldana: You want to marry a man whose already married to the church! No decent woman would even begin to think that...
  • Valeria Billi: But, I didn't say that I was a decent girl. I said I was in love!
  • Valeria Billi: I haven't told you, but, I've had two jobs offered me by a record company. Of course, now I'm a celebrity, the Priest's Wife. They'll do anything to sell records.
  • Don Mario: I've been told, the way my request is being handled, well, it will go through without a single hitch. All my papers are in order.
  • Valeria Billi: Then when can we - how long before you get the dispensation?
  • Don Mario: Oh, soon! Soon, soon. they promised it soon. The Bishop told me so. Of course, he said, don't rush things.

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