Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video:

Audio:

• Sicily, Ornella, the Mafia, and Beyond (45:43)
• Introduction by Director Damiano Damiani (1:00)
• Isolated Score Track
• Original Theatrical Trailer (3:37)

• Liner notes by Julie Kirgo

Limited to 3,000 Copies!

Bitrate:

 

Description: Director Damiano Damiani's The Most Beautiful Wife (La Moglie Più Bella, 1970) stars the then 14-year-old beauty, Ornella Muti, as a real-life Sicilian girl who dared to challenge the local Mafia. Instead of acceding to a malignant old custom allowing a young Don to kidnap and rape a prospective bride, she puts her foot down and goes to the police, unleashing the rage of the mobsters, but also the disapproval of her family and neighbors. Highlighted by a score from the great maestro, Ennio Morricone, available on this Twilight Time release as an isolated track.

 

 

An interesting film that mixes up crime, drama and human interest The Most Beautiful Wife really centers around its female lead, Ornella Muti. Not only is she completely gorgeous in this film but her performance is excellent as well making her the perfect choice for the part. We can see quite easily why Vito obsesses over her and while that hardly forgives his reprehensible actions the audience is at least able to understand why he wants her so much. Alessio Orano is also quite good as Vito, playing the role of the rather reprehensible spoiled brat quite well. We know he’s been raised in and around the mob so it makes sense that he’s turned out the way he has but he’s still a dirtbag and Orano’s performance ensures that this is never too far from our minds.

Damiano Damiani’s direction is strong and the pacing is pretty tight. While he seemed to have made a career out of making more politically tinged thrillers such as How To Kill A Judge or socialist leaning westerns like A Bullet For The General his work could sometimes come close to but not quite hit the mark. Here, he nails it dead on in terms of what he’s saying and how he is saying it, proving that when done well politics and entertainment can make for good bedfellows. The film is as much a critique of the permissiveness of the ‘system’ as it is anything else but what makes it work is that you’re not necessarily concious of that fact until it’s over with. We’re not beat over the head with his message, instead we’re left to think things over for ourselves.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

BOTTOM LINE:
The Most Beautiful Wife is a above average Italian crime-thriller. It deals with an unsavory topic but has some redeeming character nobility and it is genuinely entertaining.  The Twilight Time Blu-ray provides as good an a/v transfer as we are likely to find and appreciated supplements including the documentary, isolated score and liner notes. It's a solid package of a very intriguing and watchable film - certainly recommended!