Alfredo, Alfredo

Dubbed with a mellifluous Italian voice, Dustin Hoffman gives a warm and friendly performance as a shy young Italian bank clerk, and the novelty of seeing him without his own frightened, choked-up voice adds an extra dimension to this Pietro Germi comedy. Germi's method pits individuals-heaping collections of foibles-against the rigid Italian legal system, with its irrational laws governing marriage, divorce, and cohabitation.

The first hour is funny and lovable. Sandrelli is hilariously fickle as she toys with the lovestruck Hoffman. After Carla Gravina's character is introduced, the film is not as sharp.