Nostalgia Kinky

Radiance has released another Italian Cinema Classic on Blu-ray with The Magnificent Cuckold (1964), an acclaimed work by director Antonio Pietrangeli. Starring Ugo Tognazzi and Claudia Cardinale, The Magnificent Cuckold arrives on disc with appealing new extras and a sparkling new 4K restoration from the original camera negative. Order now from Radiance or here Stateside from MVD.

I always find it a little awkward when I sit down to watch a well-regarded classic film, loved by many of my peers, that I just can’t connect with. And, I guess, just let me get this out the way, I didn’t care much for The Magnificent Cuckold, which I admit shocked me as I was fully expecting to be charmed by this early sixties dramady about a philandering husband driven crazy by jealousy over the idea that his wife might be doing the same.

A highly respected filmmaker, Antonio Pietrangeli, was in his early forties when he stepped behind the camera for The Magnificent Cuckold, from a script co-written by frequent collaborator Ettore Scola. Perhaps better known as the screenwriter of classics like Visconti’s Obsession (1943), Pietrangeli’s work as a screenwriter was certainly more prolific than his work as director. Still, films like the wonderful Stefania Sandrelli vehicle I Knew Her Well (1965) show off Pietrangeli’s fine direction and compositional skills.

The Magnificent Cuckold is sadly one of the final films by Pietrangeli, who tragically passed away less than five years after this film’s release. Considering he’d given his life to film, his death from drowning on the set of one of his films adds an extra layer of tragedy to an already heartbreaking situation.

With both the director and screenwriter of The Magnificent Cuckold highly connected to Visconti, it is perhaps no surprise that the film’s striking black-and-white photography was handled by one of the Maestro’s key collaborators, cinematographer Armando Nannuzzi. The Magnificent Cuckold is indeed a beautiful-looking film, especially during the film’s many fantasy sequences.

Another iconic Italian artist found on the crew of The Magnificent Cuckold is Antonioni favorite, editor, Eraldo Da Roma, who had literally just arrived fresh from his mesmerizing work on Red Desert. So needless to say, some heavy-hitters are working behind the scenes of this fairly prestigious film.

The cast features many notable Italian actors, but there is no denying Claudia Cardinale’s dominance of the film. Already one of the world’s biggest stars by 1963, Cardinale began to shift her attention to Hollywood and more American co-productions. She spent the remainder of her epic career bouncing back and forth between European classics and mostly American junk. She’s great in The Magnificent Cuckold, as is costar Ugo Tognazzi, a mainstay of the Commedia all’italiana genre.

Despite the many heavyweights working on The Magnificent Cuckold, this overlong film never clicked with me. That said, there is no question that The Magnificent Cuckold is a finely made and well-crafted film. Perhaps being reminded of the classic American comedy Unfaithfully Yours affected my feelings, but ultimately The Magnificent Cuckold failed to captivate me, despite its obvious strengths.

The restored print Radiance is indeed gorgeous, and The Magnificent Cuckold is a great-looking film. Extras-wise, we get a lengthy new interview with Italian film expert Richard Dyera and a new visual essay by Italian cinema professor Rémi Fournier Lanzoni. Most interestingly, Radiance discovered some color sequences added to the film a decade after its release, well after its director had passed away. This little reel is fascinating to watch and honestly made the film a bit more interesting to me. Finally, we get a booklet with a solid essay from Phuong Le as part of this limited edition slipcovered reversible sleeve package.
Despite my reservations for The Magnificent Cuckold, this is another exceptional release from Radiance that is sure to please fans of this film and Italian comedies.

-Jeremy Richey, September 2026-