The film opens with roughly fifteen minutes devoted to a documentary-like segment depicting Adolf Hitler’s journey by train from Germany to Rome in 1938, where he would meet King Vittorio Emanuele III and Benito Mussolini to formalize an alliance. Historical film clips are accompanied by commentary reminiscent of the propaganda used during that era, promoting the strength of the Italian Empire and its seemingly unbea…

I’ve enjoyed seeing Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni together many times before—they are my favorite pairing in movies, second only to William Powell and Myrna Loy—but I hadn't experienced any films by director Scola until now, so I wasn’t certain what to anticipate, particularly given that it takes place during a period in Italy right before the Second World War. This turned out to be an exceptional film. It wo…