Delitto d’Amore (translated into English as Crime of Love) is a forgotten Italian film from the 1970s being given a second chance by the distribution company Raro Video—think the Criterion Collection but with a markedly Italian accent (and lower budget). It is a time capsule of a film, capturing a moment of history that probably few outside of Italy know much about, during which people from Sicily and southern Italy emigrated in droves to the north to work in the industrial center of Milan. One such Sicilian is Carmela (Stefania Sandrelli), who against the will of her strict and violent brother, falls in love with one of her factory coworkers, a northern Italian named Nullo (Giuliano Gemma). The values of the north are much more loose and free than the south, especially when it comes to their extremely different treatment of women. Scenes showing the contrast between how the different families run their home lives are eye-opening, especially when one only has a vague idea of the differences between Sicilian and Milanese culture.
Despite her own misgivings, Carmela chooses both Nullo and the northern lifestyle over the traditions of southern life upon which she was raised. Yet shortly after her marriage to Nullo, her happiness is cut short when she falls dreadfully ill from the terrible working conditions in the factory. As a result, both northerners and southerners must see past their differences and unite in order to change the horrible working conditions that plague all Italian factory workers, no matter where they are from.
The main actors in Delitto d’Amore are incredibly attractive and quite likeable, though Sandrelli is far more impressive in the 1961 classic Divorce, Italian-Style. They have a remarkable chemistry that gives their early romantic scenes passion and realism, not to mention sexiness. The film contains the usual color palette and visual style of the 1970s, applied to the beautiful streets of Milan to capture everyday life in Italy in a vibrant way. The film veers a little too far into melodrama as the plot develops, with co-writer and director Luigi Comencini using tragic devices to drive home a political statement in a rather heavy-handed way. As a result, Delitto d’Amore is more useful as a slice of history than it is as a truly entertaining film. However, it is worth checking out in order to see a side of Italian life, as well as Italian cinema, that is often left by the wayside.
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
Apart from the original theatrical trailer, the only other extra of note is an interview with film historian Adriano Apra; it will open the viewer’s eyes even further in regards to Italian life in the era.
"Delitto D'Amore" is on sale November 8, 2011 and is not rated. Drama. Written and directed by Luigi Comencini. Starring Brizio Montinaro, Giuliano Gemma, Stefani Sandrelli.
