Liebe, Brot und Eifersucht (1954)

Liebe, Brot und Eifersucht: Directed by Luigi Comencini. With Vittorio De Sica, Gina Lollobrigida, Marisa Merlini, Roberto Risso. The relationships between a veteran marshal, his bride-to-be, a rookie and his fiancée are severely tested when the young carabiniere is temporarily sent to a distant town.

“In the second part of this trilogy of love intrigues and complications in the Abruzzi in a small village, things turn into a more serious direction and almost into a noir in the best Italian neorealistic style, as la Bersagliera becomes the victim of slander and village gossip, which turns her sheepish cavalier away from her, while at the same time the Maresciallo finds his inamoration with the local midwife impossible, as he canu0026#39;t marry her, since itu0026#39;s against regulations for a Maresciallo to marry someone with an illegitimate child. On top of this, the childu0026#39;s father turns up and makes his claims. La Bersagliera tries to break away from all these complications, but an eartquake turns everything upside down. Nevertheless, the Maresciallo finds himself saved by the discovery of a new attractive lady – without illegitimate children.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt is not as good as the first part but rather more dramatic and definitely on the same level, so it deserves no less praise than the first, and they definitely stick together and should be seen in sequence. The second part finishes the Abruzzi story, but still there is a third part.”