All portmanteau pictures suffer from inconsistency, but several ’60s examples contain gems and more should be released on DVD. The standout here is Vittorio De Sica’s delicious sex comedy The Raffle, in which Sophia Loren manages to retain her own virtue while boosting a sad sack’s ego by letting him play the stud among his pals.
Romy Schneider also sacrifices cash for security with her cheating husband in Luchino Visconti’s The Job, while a couple risk all with an office romance in Mario Monicelli’s Renzo And Luciana. Finally, Federico Fellini exposes the dangers of getting what you wish for in The Temptation Of Dr. Antonio, when moralising hypocrite Peppino De Filippo is stalked by a 50-foot Anita Ekberg after her seductive poster image comes to life.