English Version

Unpretentious, clean and precise "Quando Le Donne Si Chiamavano Madonne" could be a good movie for its genre.

Something didn't work however, wasting a lot of things done well. For example, the soundtrack, written by Giorgio Gaslini, the famous jazz musician and composer of the soundtrack of "Profondo Rosso" with the help of Goblin. Or an equally good construction, including directing, costumes and reconstructions and the usual stellar cast suitable for the occasion.

Something went wrong, we said and the story of this "decamerotico" of 1972 never takes off and does not have strong comic moments.

Aldo Grimaldi's film is based on a structure with two parallel stories. We start from the second, that in theory is the least important, but has the divine Edwige Fenech, the character who tries to revive the fortunes of the film. A segment that although it's secondary, cannibalizes the central core of the film appearing stronger on construction and with better gags.

At the center as intended by the director, the carefree life of three young Tazio, Gisippo and Ruperto, who end up in Prato, where they witness a trial for adultery (the defendant is the Fenech). They then stop in the city, hosted in the house of the uncle of one of them and which they disturb the life of the daughter, of a friend of her and of the wife of the uncle. All fascinated by their exuberance.

In parallel, the adulteress is undergoing further testing to prove his claim of innocence must have sex with her husband and then with her lover in front of a jury and a large audience. Needless to emphasize the great victory by the lover (and all the judges ...).

With two or three best ideas more "Quando Le Donne Si Chiamavano Madonne" could become a beautiful chapter in the imaginative world of cinema of the seventies, as mentioned before even considering the stellar cast.

Besides the exuberant Edwige, there is always the great Mario Carotenuto, who for once loses his Roman accent to play a character (the uncle of one of three boys) from Tuscany. With these two are also the lead singer Don Backy, which occasionally has haunted her movies and Vittorio Caprioli.

Technical

Original title: When Women They Call Me Madonna

Alternate Titles: Pfaffenspiegel Der (Germany)

Year: 1972

Country: Italy / Germany

Director: Aldo Grimaldi

Starring: Edwige Fenech, Mario Carotenuto, Don Backy, Vittorio Caprioli, Stefania Careddu, Jurgen Drews, Paul Turkish

Production Company: Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion, Film Erka, Italian International Film