Germi gives us a worm's eye view of provincial dolce vita in his third comedy of morals (with Divorce, Italian Style and Seduced and Abandoned). He dissects the hypocritical middle class-the ladies and gentlemen of the Italian title-in the small northern town of Treviso. It is a three-part operation. Each episode depicts a hilarious flurry of sexual intrigue, over which a layer of prudent respectability inevitably descends. A case in point is the father who is aware that his underage daughter is known around town as man's best friend, but who allows himself to be silenced to save the town's honor. In another story, a fellow spreads the rumor of his own impotence in order to lay a husband's suspicions to rest. In this manner "the action unfolds with a rigorous logic based on the absurd rules of provincial life" (Mira Liehm), and does so almost seamlessly, as Germi deftly integrates his ensemble cast into each episode. Grand Prize, Cannes Film Festival.