L'immorale (1967)

Sergio Masini is a polygamist in 1960s Italy. A violin professor, he divides his life between two parallel families, one with his wife Giulia and the other with Adele. Both consume him completely, through his dual responsibilities as a father and husband as well as his love for both women. Further complicating matters is a new love, Marisa, a young musician he meets while away on a trip. Unable to sever his previous ties, he divides his time among the three women, multiplying the lies, lunches, and gifts for various occasions—for both his lovers and his children. Sergio dreams of bringing everyone together as one big family, and even begins secretly arranging for some of the family members to meet under his watch. The dream sequence in which Tognazzi happily laughs with his women and all his children together on a carousel recalls, in some ways, the scene in Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 with Marcello Mastroianni and his harem of women all together, with Renée Longarini in place of Anouk Aimée and Maria Grazia Carmassi in place of Sandra Milo. One night, he quarrels with Marisa, who runs away and leaves the city. Sergio discovers that she is pregnant and goes to her hometown to take her away with him. But there, the girl’s father and brother beat him brutally. Still, Sergio is ready to do anything to prevent Marisa from having an abortion. The parish priest advises him to break off all these relationships and bring clarity to his life, but Sergio loves all three women. Meanwhile, Marisa gives birth and becomes so accommodating about Sergio’s complicated life that she encourages him to go on vacation with his wife. Soon afterward, Sergio dies, worn out by such a complicated life. The funeral ends with a shot of his wife, the most enigmatic and composed of them all: how could she never have known about the others?