The Magnificent Cuckold (1964) in Color — Starring Ugo Tognazzi & Claudia Cardinale

The Magnificent Cuckold (1964) — Buy This Classic in Color

Experience the uproarious Italian comedy The Magnificent Cuckold (1964) colorized in stunning HD quality. Directed by Antonio Pietrangeli, this sharp satirical farce stars the great Claudia Cardinale and Ugo Tognazzi in a wickedly funny tale of a wealthy Italian industrialist who becomes consumed by obsessive jealousy, hiring private detectives, setting elaborate traps, and driving himself and everyone around him to distraction as he becomes increasingly convinced that his beautiful, faithful wife is having an affair. Now available as an instant, DRM-free digital download for only €15.00.

Plot Summary

Andrea Doricola (Ugo Tognazzi) is a prosperous Italian businessman blessed with everything a man could want — wealth, social status, a beautiful home, and most enviably of all, a stunning, charming, and devoted wife, Maria Grazia (Claudia Cardinale). But Andrea is cursed with a pathological jealousy that transforms his blessed life into an elaborate, self-inflicted hell.

The trouble begins innocuously enough: a casual remark at a dinner party, a glance Andrea interprets as too lingering between his wife and another man, a telephone call that goes unexplained. From these tiny seeds, Andrea’s fevered imagination constructs an elaborate fantasy of adultery that bears no relation to reality. Maria Grazia is perfectly faithful, genuinely bewildered by her husband’s increasingly bizarre behaviour — but Andrea’s jealousy has become a self-sustaining engine of paranoia that requires no actual evidence to fuel it.

Andrea hires private detectives to follow his wife, installs hidden cameras in their home, interrogates their servants, and cross-examines Maria Grazia with the relentless persistence of a prosecuting attorney. Each investigation confirms her complete innocence — which only convinces Andrea that the affair is so cleverly concealed that ordinary methods cannot detect it. He subjects his wife to progressively more humiliating and absurd tests of fidelity, enlists his friends in elaborate surveillance schemes, and sets traps so convoluted that they inevitably ensnare only himself. The comedy escalates as Andrea’s behaviour becomes increasingly outrageous and self-defeating — his very attempts to prevent an affair create the conditions that make one increasingly likely, as the exasperated Maria Grazia begins to wonder whether a man this determined to be cuckolded perhaps deserves to get his wish.

Cast & Crew

Director: Antonio Pietrangeli
Stars: Claudia Cardinale is luminously beautiful and wonderfully witty as Maria Grazia, playing the exasperated wife with warmth, intelligence, and perfectly calibrated comic timing that transforms what could be a passive role into the film’s moral centre. Ugo Tognazzi is brilliantly, hilariously, pathetically obsessive as Andrea, creating a masterclass in comic self-destruction. The supporting cast features Philippe Leroy and Lando Buzzanca in roles that amplify the farcical complications.

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This professionally colorized edition enhances the film’s sun-drenched Italian settings with era-accurate hues. The elegant villas, stylish Roman interiors, colourful Italian streetscapes, and Claudia Cardinale’s stunning wardrobe gain rich Mediterranean warmth through careful colour restoration. Now also available in colour — a colori — for audiences worldwide.

Buy now for an instant, secure digital download with no DRM restrictions. Compatible with all devices that play MP4 files.

Historical Significance

Released in 1964, The Magnificent Cuckold represents Italian comedy at its sharpest and most sophisticated. Director Antonio Pietrangeli was renowned for his intelligent, nuanced comedies about Italian social manners, and this film is one of his finest achievements. Claudia Cardinale, at the peak of her international stardom following 8½ and The Leopard, gives one of her most delightful comic performances. Through colorization, this gem of Italian cinema is preserved for modern audiences.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4
• Resolution: HD 720p
• Colorized: Yes — professionally restored frame-by-frame
• Audio: Original Italian mono soundtrack with English subtitles
• Runtime: 118 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — play anywhere, keep forever
• Instant download: Yes — available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Is this in Italian?
A: Yes, the film features its original Italian mono soundtrack with English subtitles, preserving the authentic performances and comic timing of the original production.

Q: Is Claudia Cardinale the star?
A: Yes, the legendary Claudia Cardinale co-stars in one of her most charming and funny performances alongside the brilliant comic actor Ugo Tognazzi in a pairing that is one of the great pleasures of 1960s Italian cinema.

Q: Is this a broad comedy or a sophisticated satire?
A: It is a sophisticated Italian social comedy with farcical elements — witty, intelligent, and genuinely funny, with sharp observations about marriage, jealousy, and male insecurity wrapped in delightful entertainment.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: The film is delivered as a high-quality MP4 file compatible with all modern devices and media players.

Q: Is there DRM protection?
A: No. The download is completely DRM-free — you own it outright and can play it on any device forever.

Q: How do I receive the film after purchase?
A: You receive an instant download link immediately after payment. A backup copy of the link is also sent to your email address.

Related Colorized Classics

• Obsession (1944)
• Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958)
• London After Midnight (1927) Minoru Production
• The Little World of Don Camillo (1952)
• London After Midnight (1927) Metro Production