Le ore dell’amore (Stunden der Liebe)

Gianni (Ugo Tognazzi) and Maretta (Emmanuelle Riva) have been in a flourishing love affair for years. But when they get married, instead of the marital bliss they had hoped for, a paralysing togetherness sets in: Emotional death by routine, whether at home in front of the TV or at meetings with unloved acquaintances (marvellous guest appearance: writer-director Brunello Rondi as the male half of the dreaded married couple Cipriani). Even cheating fails due to the overwhelming lack of drive. The conclusion of the Tognazzi trilogy by Salce (and Castellano & Pipolo) depicts married life as a suffocating circle of hell. Despite an amusing in-between parody of Fellini surrealism (including the incomparable Barbara Steele in a supporting role), Le ore dell'amore is a gently melancholy comedy of such elegance that US critic Andrew Sarris compared Salce to Lubitsch at the cinema premiere. The final punchline proves him right. (Christoph Huber)

Introduction by Christoph Huber on 24.1.2025

Photo: Austrian Film Museum