十九世纪初法国革命时期，格里罗侯爵居住在罗马，他是一个肆无忌惮的享乐主义者，终日沉浸于各种荒唐事，直到革命最终来临，拿破仑率领法国人进入了罗马……
导演莫尼切利凭借此片第三次摘得柏林电影节最佳电影导演奖。

　　影片讲述了在世纪转折期间，意大利都灵被压榨的纺织厂工人开始争取改善工作环境，西尼加利亚教授（马斯杜安尼）被社会主义者派遣到那里帮助工人组织罢工和斗争。

维瓦尔第在罗马某政府机关工作，即将退休。他对自己的儿子寄予厚望，希望他能拥有美好的前程。不幸的是，父子俩无意中被卷入一场抢劫，儿子被流弹击中身亡。悲痛欲绝的父亲无法释怀，他开始策划一场漫长、邪恶、决绝的复仇。根据文琴佐•切拉米1976年的小说改编，电影混合了喜剧和荒诞的风格，情节跌宕起伏，主演索尔蒂出演此片时正处于其事业高峰期。

维斯康提那段讲罗密·施奈德扮演的美丽少妇设计向丈夫报仇，冒充他情妇，让他花钱才能得到她；德西卡的那段讲一个胆小的人赢得一个奖，奖品是跟一个女孩的约会；莫尼切里那段在很多海外版本中均被删除，其风格比较偏传统喜剧，较低调，容易消失在同行的阴影里；但最为出彩的还是费里尼的那段，名为《安东尼博士的诱惑》，讲一个波霸美女从海报上“活”过来，取笑一个道貌岸然的禁欲男子。
幕后制作：
四位重量级意大利导演用各自的手法捕捉薄伽丘的精神，以罗马为舞台呈现大型世像图。虽然只是部短片，但费里尼却以轻松嘲讽但不失沉重的语气来讲述这个揭露上层阶级虚伪道德观的故事。安东尼博士是个值得探讨的人物，他面对价值崩溃、道德沦丧感到无能为力，妄图以虚伪的面具来掩盖自己内心的欲望，但当巨大的女郎形象从广告中走出与他同乐时，他的本性终于显露。费里尼用梦幻与现实交错的手法同时制造出荒诞与沉重两种调子，极具表现力，在本片中给人印象最为深刻。

弗朗西斯卡（多利斯·道灵 Doris Dowling 饰）是小偷沃尔特（维托里奥·加斯曼 Vittorio Gassman 饰）的情妇，沃尔特自私贪婪心狠手辣，常常虐待弗朗西斯卡，令她苦不堪言。最终，弗朗西斯卡决定从他的身边逃开，前往波流河自寻生路。
在波流河，弗朗西斯卡结识了同事希尔瓦纳（肖瓦娜·曼加诺 Silvana Mangano 饰），希尔瓦纳拥有俊俏的外表和高傲的性格，她暗暗的将弗朗西斯卡认定为竞争对手。沃尔特循着弗朗西斯卡的踪迹也来到了波流河，他被希尔瓦纳的美貌所吸引，向她展开热情的攻势。原来，沃尔特想要利用希尔瓦纳的职位之便来偷窃营地里的粮食，弗朗西斯卡虽然百般提醒希尔瓦纳，但后者并不相信她。

两个意大利士兵被卷入第一次世界大战，他们很想逃脱战争的阴霾，想了很多办法，但是现实无情，总是把他们推到荒唐而危险的境况中。在一次次偷懒成功后，他们却目睹着一次次战友们血肉模糊的战场惨状。终于一个亡故战友的妻子令两人的思想有了变化，在一次对敌行动被俘后两人被处死，但他们的长官却还以为他们照旧做了逃兵。

一群流氓偷走了一幅卷轴，授予其持有者阿普利亚（意大利南部）Aurocastro土地的财产。他们选出了一位毛茸茸的骑士，来自诺西亚的Brancaleone，作为他们的领袖，并决定拥有这片据称富裕的土地。旅途中将发生许多冒险活动。

Elena lives on a Tuscan farm, separated from her ineffectual husband Leonardo, who is more concerned with his mistress Lolli than his wife or two daughters, Franca and Malvina. This collection of female figures inhabiting a world virtually without men is completed by Elena's sister Claudia and Elena's housekeeper Fosca. The only male in the house is a senile old uncle who spends most of his time knitting. This unusual stable female environment is suddenly shaken by several crises.

On New Year's Eve, an insecure, struggling actress (Anna Magnani) has nothing to do. When a colleague invites her to a New Year's party, she jumps at the opportunity. Accidentally she runs into an old acting acquaintance (Toto), who is helping a professional pickpocket (Ben Gazzara) steal from people during the hustle-bustle of New Year's Eve festivities. During the course of the evening, they have numerous crazy, humorous adventures all over Rome at different parties, restaurants, and even the Trevi fountain. Magnani's character (Tortorella) falls for Gazzara's character (Lello) without knowing what he's up to, while Toto tries to placate them both. Written by Miriam Kramer

故事讲述一个满脸写着正直的西西里裔的年轻法官吉多•希亚伟（Guido Schiavi）来到了西西里村庄卡泊达尔索（Capodarso）。（众看官露出“有好戏看了”的表情）。而希亚伟不但与当地以帕萨拉夸（Passalacqua）为首的强大的黑手党势力发生冲突，而且还爱上的人正是试图向他行贿的煤老板的老婆！最终他对正义的信仰能不能经受得住考验呢？

Based on 'Il fu Mattia Pascal', one of Pirandello's many stories concerning the transitory nature of the intangibles "truth" and "identity". Mattia Pascal is a downtrodden average man, treated like trash by his fiancée, scorned by his associates, and cheated out of his inheritance by contemptuous relatives. The dispirited Pascal heads to Monte Carlo, accruing a fortune and also assuming the identity of a less fortunate gambler who killed himself. The "new" Pascal is treated with a dignity and respect that overwhelms him--and nearly kills him.

讲述的是一名军队士兵在朝不保夕的情况下，在美女身上寻求欢愉的风流情事。

A peasant leader under the enlightened despotism of Empress Catherine the Great, and a love story.

Italy 1973. Giuseppe Tritoni (Ugo Tognazzi) is an ultra-right-wing congressman that doesn't agree anymore with his fascist party policy. He contacts many Italian Army officers and built a net of relationship in order to organize a Coup d'Etat (Golpe). Something goes wrong and the Interior Minister (Home Secretary) Mr. Li Masi (Lino Pugliesi) got the all information about the attempted Golpe. So the Minister organizes a counter-Golpe. Tritoni desperately, to save his project, kidnaps the Italian Republic President (Claude Dauphin) that immediately dies for heartache. Now Minister Mr. Li Masi is free to lay down the law to the rest of the country, realizing basically the actual Golpe! Tritoni surrenders and will spend rest of his time trying to sell his ideas about managing Golpe in Africa!

50岁的Giulio（Tognazzi饰）和他17岁的教女Vincenzina（Muti饰）疯狂地爱上了对方，很快就结婚了。不幸的是，朱利奥在旅行归来时偶然撞见了他的朋友和文森齐纳。他的嫉妒和愤怒战胜了他，他把妻子赶出了家门。几年过去了，Giulio决定重新点燃与Vincenzina的恋情。