1953 film

An episodic film based on letters to agony columns, showing the effect of sex on the lives of women.

The remarkable debut feature directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, famed for THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS and BURN!, in a beautiful, newly restored version thanks to the efforts of Jonathan Demme, Dustin Hoffman and Milestone Film. Set in a fishing village off Italy's Dalmatian coast, under a brilliant, turquoise sky, Yves Montand plays Squarcio, a rogue fisherman who manages to feed his family (his wife played by the exquisite Alida Valli) by tossing bombs into the water to kill the maximum number of fish. When a new chief of police puts Squarcio's illegal and dangerous exploits under closer scrutiny, his livelihood is threatened. Montand's unforgettable, complex character is part working-class hero, part macho-cowboy, part 1950's sex symbol at sea.