The Law, 1960 (Grade A-)

Director: Jules Dassin

Awards: None we know of

Cast: Gina Lollobrigida; Pierre Brasseur; Marcello Mastroianni; Melina Mercouri; Yves Montand; Raf Mattioli; Vittorio Caprioli; Lidia Alfonsi

plot: Gina Lollobrigida smoulders as Marietta, the most attractive woman in town. Every man wants her, but she only has eyes for Enrico (Marcello Mastroianni), a young, handsome engineer whose lack of connections and poverty prevents him from marrying her. The tensions steadily build and threaten to explode in a town where "the law" is a cruel game played by men ruled by their desires.

sez says:  Dassin was blacklisted in the US during the McCarthy era. He went to Europe and continued his career there. He was a man interested in story -- and  it is no surprise he was attracted to this story.  Competition over a woman can lead men to act in unseemly ways..and that is part of this story.. But a larger part has to do with dominance: who will rule whom. Who deserves to rule.  This is a universal theme -- and there are no heroes.