The Witches (1967 film)

The Witches (Italian: Le streghe) is a 1967 commedia all'italiana anthology film produced by Dino De Laurentiis in 1965.[1] It consists of five comic stories, directed by Luchino Visconti, Franco Rossi, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Mauro Bolognini and Vittorio De Sica. Each story is about witches and features Silvana Mangano.

The Witches
Italian theatrical release poster
ItalianLe streghe
Directed byLuchino Visconti
Mauro Bolognini
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Franco Rossi
Vittorio De Sica
Screenplay byGiuseppe Patroni Griffi
Cesare Zavattini
Age & Scarpelli
Bernardino Zapponi
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Fabio Carpi
Enzo Muzzi
Produced byDino De Laurentiis
StarringSilvana Mangano
Clint Eastwood
Annie Girardot
Totò
Alberto Sordi
CinematographyGiuseppe Rotunno
Edited byMario Serandrei
Nino Baragli
Giorgio Serrallonga
Adriana Novelli
Music byPiero Piccioni
Ennio Morricone
Production
companies
Distributed byDear Film (Italy)
United Artists (international)
Release dates
  • 22 February 1967 (1967-02-22) (Italy)
  • 5 June 1968 (1968-06-05) (France)
Running time
110 minutes
CountriesItaly
France
LanguageItalian

This is one of De Laurentiis' more eclectic films. Clint Eastwood also makes an appearance in the final story.[2] It was the last film starring Totò to be released in his lifetime.

Segments

"The Witch Burned Alive"

A famous actress arrives in an Austrian chalet to spend an evening with friends. The woman is gotten drunk by the guests, and when she falls unconscious, friends remove her makeup to look at the imperfections of her face, always believed beautiful by her fans.

"Civic Spirit"

A man is wounded in a traffic accident. A woman stops the car and offers to take him to the hospital. The woman, however, only does this to pass the road traffic. When she arrives at her destination, she throws him out.

"The Earth Seen from the Moon"

This comic episode, directed by Pasolini, tells the story of a red-headed father and son, Ciancicato and Baciu Miao (Totò and Ninetto Davoli). Ciancicato has just lost his wife and wants to marry a new wife. Ciancicato finds a deaf girl among the shacks on the outskirts of Rome and makes her his bride. To buy a better house nearby, he concocts a plan for her to threaten to commit suicide (distraught by her sick children) by jumping from the Colosseum, and take a collection to save her, but she slips on a banana peel and falls, and is buried next to his former wife.

"The Sicilian Belle"

In this short episode, a Sicilian woman tells her father a man made a pass at her; he retaliates by massacring the family.

"An Evening Like the Others"

Clint Eastwood is a western movie lover who does not know how to change the flat relationship with his wife. One day the character disguises himself as a gunslinger to entertain his wife, but she is not impressed and he realizes that their relationship is broken forever. In the final scene, she imagines herself as a glamorous star, walking along in an evolving series of haute couture while being ogled by a growing crowd of middle-aged businessmen. She lastly dons a magnificent gown made of multiple layers of silk, each in a vibrant shade, which she peels away layer by layer.

Cast

"The Witch Burned Alive"
"Civic Spirit"
  • Silvana Mangano as Woman in a Hurry
  • Alberto Sordi as Elio Ferocci
"The Earth Seen from the Moon"
  • Silvana Mangano as Assurdina Caì
  • Totò as Ciancicato Miao
  • Ninetto Davoli (as Nenetto Davoli) as Baciu Miao
  • Laura Betti as Male Tourist
  • Luigi Leoni as Female Tourist
  • Mario Cipriani as Priest (uncredited)
"The Sicilian Belle"
  • Silvana Mangano as Nunzia
  • Pietro Tordi as Nunzia's Father (uncredited)
"An Evening Like the Others"

Crew

"The Witch Burned Alive"
Luchino ViscontiDirector
Giuseppe Patroni Griffi
With the collaboration of
Cesare Zavattini
Story and Screenplay
Piero PiccioniComposer
Rinaldo RicciAssistant Director
Mario SerandreiEditor
"Civic Spirit"
Mauro BologniniDirector
Age & Scarpelli
Bernardino Zapponi
Story and Screenplay
Piero PiccioniComposer
Massimo CastellaniAssistant Director
Nino BaragliEditor
"The Earth Seen from the Moon"
Pier Paolo PasoliniDirector
Story and Screenplay
Ennio MorriconeComposer
Sergio CittiAssistant Director
Nino BaragliEditor
"The Sicilian Belle"
Franco RossiDirector
Age & Scarpelli
Bernardino Zapponi
Story and Screenplay
Piero PiccioniComposer
Nello VaninAssistant Director
Giorgio SerralongaEditor
"An Evening Like the Others"
Vittorio De SicaDirector
Cesare Zavattini
With the collaboration of
Fabio Carpi
Enzo Muzii
Story and Screenplay
Piero PiccioniComposer
Luisa AlessandriAssistant Director
Adriana NovelliEditor
Other crew
Giuseppe RotunnoDirector of Photography
Alfredo De LaurentiisGeneral Production Manager
Mario Garbuglia
Piero Poletto
Art Directors
Piero TosiCostume Designer
Goffredo RocchettiMakeup Artist

Release

Le streghe was never released outside of Europe as United Artists bought the film when Clint Eastwood's career began to ascend. United Artists decided not to release it in theaters but instead kept it in its library vault to prevent its viewing.[3]

References

  1. "The Witches (1967)". AllMovie.
  2. Le streghe (in Italian), retrieved 11 June 2023
  3. Munn, p. 58

Bibliography

  • Munn, Michael (1992). Clint Eastwood: Hollywood's Loner. London: Robson Books. ISBN 0-86051-790-X.
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