The Taming of the Scoundrel

Elia Codogno runs a farm alone in Lombardy, keeps away from women and dislikes talking. Lisa's car breaks down, she takes shelter in his house, and she does not leave. The ruder he is, the longer she stays. She tries to change him first, then changes her method. The subject is not romance but who is training whom. The title points to Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew while inverting the roles; here the one being tamed is the man, and the woman is doing it. The form is Italian popular comedy: jokes proceeding in episodes, loud humour and music. Adriano Celentano was both a singer and a film star at the time, and his comedy rests largely on body language. The film was among the most-watched in Italy that year and turned Celentano and Ornella Muti into a franchise; the two made several more films together in quick succession. Castellano and Pipolo directed. Who it is for: viewers who like Italian popular comedy and Celentano's physical humour. Who it is not for: anyone troubled by the period's handling of gender roles; some scenes are plainly problematic now.