The Girl with a Pistol

Assunta lives in Sicily. Vincenzo abducts her and then refuses to marry her; by the custom of the region the woman is now considered dishonoured. Her family knows the only remedy: kill the man. The task falls to Assunta. Vincenzo flees to England. She takes a pistol and follows. She reaches London; she does not know the language, has no money and does not know where he is. She starts working, learns English, changes jobs, and years pass. Meanwhile she begins to think about her own life and the idea of killing loses its meaning. Mario Monicelli directs. Monica Vitti plays Assunta and Stanley Baker the doctor she meets. The film was nominated for best foreign film at the Oscars. The narrative's target is the custom of honour; Monicelli mocks it directly and criticises the legal arrangements in Italy as well. Italian law of those years contained special provisions on honour and the film ridicules them openly. Monica Vitti had moved from serious parts to comedy in this period, and this film is the best known example of that move. The London sections show the England of the sixties and cultural difference is the source of the humour. The ending is shaped by the character's own decision rather than by the custom. Who it is for: viewers who like Italian comedy and Monica Vitti. Who it is not for: the humour is tied to its period, the pace is uneven, and some sections run long.