Provincial Sinners (1977)

 

(Original Title: Peccatori di provincia) An Italian comedy about an amoral family conniving to gain the inheritance bequeathed to a nun.

At the funeral of Commander Emanuele Lo Curcio, Mayor Angelo Lo Curcio (Renzo Montagnani), his brother, feigns sadness, but is anything but in a state of mourning.

The funeral is barely over before the entire Lo Curcio family has torn the late Emanuele's estate upside down looking for his treasures.

Angelo's son, Donato (Stefano Amato), fat and perpetually horny, gets a look at his cousin's backside as she scavenges for hidden treasure...

Gigia (Femi Benussi), Angelo's sister Concetta's daughter

Giuseppe Zito (Riccardo Garrone), the Lo Curcio family lawyer, delivers the bad news.

Angelo nearly has a heart attack when he hears that his brother's fortune has been bequeathed to a nun! Worse, it's a family member they didn't even know about - Emanuele's illegitimate daughter.

Aldo Lo Curcio (Giancarlo Marinangeli) is the only family member who doesn't care about the money.

The arrival of the nun, Domitilla (Daniela Halbritter).

Angelo meets his niece for the first time.  She's invited to stay with them.

Gigia and her husband (Ennio Biasciucci) want to get their hands on that inheritance.  The whole family is in deep debt, and they need this money.  And, as we'll see, there's nothing they won't do to get it.

Domitilla appears to be a saint; in stark contrast to the rest of the Lo Curcio family.

At Angelo's estate, Domitilla gets undressed for bed.

Full frontal nudity from Daniela Halbritter - and more to come.

Angelo and his wife Vincenzina (Macha Méril) have a sexless marriage.

Angelo saves all his lustfulness for his secretary

Angelo is deeply in debt.  We meet his bank manager (Otello Belardi) and his wife (Marie Fürstin Gagarin).

Their scene is completely irrelevant, except to provide gratuitous full frontal from Marie Fürstin Gagarin.

Angelo does everything he can to get a piece of his brother's will.  He tries one stupid plan after another.

Perhaps his stupidest idea is to get his fat loser son Donato to woo Domitilla. 

She's more-or-less enjoying his company until they catch sight of the maid cleaning....

The sight of their maid Gomorra (Zaira Zoccheddu) bending over causes Donato to jack-off right there, and Domitilla runs away horrified.

Angelo consults with the family lawyer, Giuseppe Zito.  His wife Carmela (Fiona Florence) sits in the room with all kinds of stuff exposed.

As soon as Giuseppe leaves, Angelo and Carmelo go at it.

The Lo Curcios are delighted to hear that Angelo has found a loophole in the will. The wording specificies "expulsion of the beneficiary in the event of a reprehensible or amoral attitude".  So all they have to do is prove Domitilla has exhibited a reprehensible or amoral attitude.... which is going to be near impossible as she is basically a saint.  So, if they can't find some dirt on her, they'll have to invent it. And this is where things start to get dirty - in every sense of the word.

The dirty deed will involve the help of Gigia and her husband.

Angelo explains that they will drug Domitilla and photograph her in compromising positions. 

The deceitful couple await the arrival of Domitilla

Gigia gives Domitilla the drugged tea.

She passes out.

Gigia and her husband carry Domitilla to the bed.

They begin stripping off her clothing.

Angelo has the camera ready to photograph the "reprehensible" behavior.

Domitilla is stripped completely naked.

Gigia and her husband now pose with her.  

Later, Angelo presents Domitilla with the photographs.

Just when the Lo Cursio family thinks they've finally gotten the inheritance, it falls apart.  The incriminating photographs appear to have been incinerated - as if by god himself has come to the saintly woman's aid.

Domitilla announces that she has no need for this money and will give it away.

She gives it to Aldo who is the only Lo Cursio who hasn't exhibited greed.  He can access the fortune when he comes of age.

Of course, now the Lo Cursio family, who hadn't ever given Aldo the time of day, is smothering him with attention. THE END

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I get so sick of these inheritance movies; it's the most tired and overused plot device ever created.  However, this film still managed to keep me entertained. Perhaps it was the relentless energy, and a level of sleaziness is achieved which I didn't quite expect. The scene where Daniela Halbritter is stripped and photographed unconscious is just flat-out insane. It's also helped by the fact that Renzo Montagnani is a goddamn comic genius. 

★★★★★★★☆☆☆7/10