Dino Risi, who died last year, left a legacy of films in his native Italy that is probably hard to match. One of our favorites was "Profumo di donna" that was later remade into a Hollywood vehicle for Al Pacino and won him the Oscar. "La stanza del vescovo" was unknown to us, so we saw it for two reasons, Dino Risi and Ugo Tognazzi. That said, the film proved not to live up to our expectations, although it was fun to watch it while it was on.
The basic problem with the film is that it never makes up its mind in whether it wants to be a comedy, a mystery, or a serious drama. At the center of the story is Temistocle Mario Orimbelli, a man who married a wealthy woman and is living in her magnificent villa overlooking Lago Maggiore. Mario happens to see a younger man, Marco Maffei, one evening trying to get groceries for his dinner at a store that has just closed for the day. Mario decides to invite the stranger home, but in order to reach the place, they take Maffei's boat because it has a mooring facility.
Little prepares the younger man for the opulence he is about to see inside the house where Mario's wife, Cleofe, and her future sister-in-law, Matilde, live strange lives. Matilde is a gorgeous creature who is to be married to Cleofe's brother, missing in action in Ethiopia during Italy's war in the 1930s. Cleofe is a society woman that has married below her class, or so it appears.
Things turn for the worst after Mario reveals his love for Matilde. Maffei is taken aback by the admission since he has coveted the young woman and believes she is attracted to him. When Cleofe appears dead all suspicions fall on Mario, who has a strong alibi. In the end, when all is said and done, it comes as a complete surprise the fortunes that befall Matilde, making this viewer think she had been more involved than what we gave her credit for.
Ugo Tognazzi makes a good contribution to the film. It isn't his fault the screenplay doesn't make sense at times, but he is, as usual, effective in delivering what was expected of him. Patrick Dewaere, whose life was cut short before his prime, plays Maffei in a fog. Ornella Muti makes a beautiful Matilde. Gabriella Giacobbe has some good moments as Cleofe.
See the film as a rarity and don't expect much, maybe then, will the viewer be surprised. The scenery around the Lago Maggiore is impressive.
The basic problem with the film is that it never makes up its mind in whether it wants to be a comedy, a mystery, or a serious drama. At the center of the story is Temistocle Mario Orimbelli, a man who married a wealthy woman and is living in her magnificent villa overlooking Lago Maggiore. Mario happens to see a younger man, Marco Maffei, one evening trying to get groceries for his dinner at a store that has just closed for the day. Mario decides to invite the stranger home, but in order to reach the place, they take Maffei's boat because it has a mooring facility.
Little prepares the younger man for the opulence he is about to see inside the house where Mario's wife, Cleofe, and her future sister-in-law, Matilde, live strange lives. Matilde is a gorgeous creature who is to be married to Cleofe's brother, missing in action in Ethiopia during Italy's war in the 1930s. Cleofe is a society woman that has married below her class, or so it appears.
Things turn for the worst after Mario reveals his love for Matilde. Maffei is taken aback by the admission since he has coveted the young woman and believes she is attracted to him. When Cleofe appears dead all suspicions fall on Mario, who has a strong alibi. In the end, when all is said and done, it comes as a complete surprise the fortunes that befall Matilde, making this viewer think she had been more involved than what we gave her credit for.
Ugo Tognazzi makes a good contribution to the film. It isn't his fault the screenplay doesn't make sense at times, but he is, as usual, effective in delivering what was expected of him. Patrick Dewaere, whose life was cut short before his prime, plays Maffei in a fog. Ornella Muti makes a beautiful Matilde. Gabriella Giacobbe has some good moments as Cleofe.
See the film as a rarity and don't expect much, maybe then, will the viewer be surprised. The scenery around the Lago Maggiore is impressive.