Causa di divorzio (1972)

Italian One Piece Poster

As far as I can tell, Causa di divorzio is amongst the most elusive movies on Catherine's filmography.  I have seen no indication that it has ever been released on home video in any format or in any country.  I have also seen no indication that it has ever been aired on television and recorded by any fans.  I am completely perplexed as to how a film starring Catherine Spaak and Senta Berger and produced by Dino de Laurentiss could be so hard to find.  I would put this film at the top of my list of most sought-after Catherine Spaak film that I have never seen in any format.

Here is a synopsis (It was in Italian, and I used googletranslate to help get it into comprehensible English, as best as I could):

After military service in Carpi, the young Roman Sylvester Parolini (Enrico Montesano) marries Ernesta (Catherine).  Instead of taking her to Rome, as he had promised, she remains in the Emilian town and works in a wool mill.  Because everyone in Carpi make shirts at the mill, Ernesta bought a frame house like everyone else, but that only made the need to earn money more pressing. She ended up neglecting both the house and her husband.  Sylvester knows Enrica (Senta Berger), who is dedicated completely to her husband and her household duties, but they have marital problems. Sylvester and Enrica decide to get married, but there is the problem of divorce.  If you got married in the church, it is easy to obtain a divorce in a short time, by the Sacred Rota, the declaration of nullity of marriage.  For Sylvester, who was married in the town hall, the matter is much more complicated.  Ernesta and Sylvester provide the reason for the separation, the first step on the road to divorce. Meanwhile, however, money is scarce, so Enrica is also forced to buy a frame house.

With that synopsis in mind, it appears that the film is a comedy that attempts to make light of the difficulty of divorce in Italy at the time.  My guess is that this film is probably comparable in quality to Certo, certissimo, anzi...probabile.  If it was anywhere near being a classic, then you would think that it would have been released on home video at some point.  If anyone knows the story behind why this film is so difficult to find, please let us know.

According to IMDB, the film was shot in Carpi (in northern Italy) and in Rome.  Filming began around the end of August 1971 and was finished by mid-October.

• The June 30, 1971 Variety reported:  "July start for producer Dino De Laurentis is 'Cause for Divorce' with a cast including Senta Berger, Catherine Spaak, Enrico Montesano, directed by Marcello Fondato."

• The August 12, 1971 Variety noted that "Cause for Divorce" was scheduled to start August 28.

• The August 25, 1971 Variety reported:  "DDL starts this week were Marcello Fondato's 'Cause of Divorce' with Santa Berger, Enrico Montesano and Catherine Spaak."  It noted that filming was started August 23 in Modena, with interiors at Dinocitta.

• The October 13, 1971 Variety reported from Rome:  "Latest Columbia acquisition here is Marcello Fondato's 'Cause for Divorce,' recently completed at Dinocitta."

The film was released on March 3, 1972 in Italy and on August 19, 1974 in Spain, according to IMDB.  I have seen no information concerning how it performed at the box office.

Here is an Italian locandina poster and film program:

Italian fotobustas:

A Spanish poster and lobby card set:

On-set photos and stills:

I'm not sure of the source of this publicity item:

  
A magazine cover:

A Continental Film Review magazine picture from October 1972: