The Law (La Loi)
THE LAW (previously released in the US as Where the Hot Wind Blows) stars Gina Lollobrigida, Marcello Mastroianni, Yves Montand, Melina Mercouri, and Pierre Brasseur. Lollobrigida plays Marietta, the gorgeous housekeeper to Don Cesare (Brasseur), the patriarch of a small Mediterranean coastal town. Lusted after by many men, including Francesco (Montand), the son of a local crime boss, Marietta has her own desires, consisting of the poor Enrico (Mastroianni). Determined to secure the dowry that will enable her to marry Enrico, Marietta connives the men of the town by turning the tables on them using their own vicious drinking game which they call "The Law." Haden Guest, Director of the Harvard Film Archive called the film "a totally underrated and underappreciated gem.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Disc one:- Uncensored French-language version of The Law.
- All new feature length audio commentary by film critic David Fear.
- New English-language subtitle translation by Lenny Borger.
Disc two:
- Alternate ending – "Mariette's Revenge".
- 1958 episode of Cinépanorama from the set of The Law, featuring Jules Dassin, Gina Lollobrigida, Yves Montand, and Melina Mercouri.
- 1957 television interview with La Loi novelist Roger Vailland, from French television program Lectures pour tous.
- L'Ultima Osteria (2010, dir. Alfredo De Giuseppe) – a documentary film about "The Law" as played in southern Italy today.
- The Law original theatrical trailer.
- With an exclusive essay by Haden Guest, director of the Harvard Film Archive.