Title (Original): Mio Dio, come sono caduta in basso! (1974) directed by Luigi Comencini
Cast: Laura Antonelli, Michele Placido, Alberto Lionello
Plot Summary:
Set in early 20th century Sicily, Mio Dio, come sono caduta in basso! follows the story of Eugenia Di Maqueda and Raimondo Corrao, Marquis Di Maqueda. They discover on their wedding night that they are siblings, preventing the consummation of their marriage. To preserve their inheritance and family honor, they choose to hide the truth, publicly acting as husband and wife while maintaining chastity in private.
Eugenia, a virgin, struggles with her increasing sexual desires. She nearly succumbs to the advances of a French baron who ultimately rejects her due to her virginity. She later surrenders to her personal driver, Silvano, in a sun-drenched Sicilian countryside shack. He is falsely accused of stealing candelabras and dismissed. During her husband/brother’s service in the Libyan War, Eugenia dreams of having a child with D’Annunzio and briefly engages in a lesbian affair with her foreign friend, Evelyn.
Upon his return as a decorated war hero and newly elected deputy, Raimondo, intoxicated by the prose of the poet Vate, plans to finally experience the forbidden pleasure of an incestuous relationship with his sister/wife. However, a call from Uncle Monsignor Pacifici reveals they are not blood-related, dampening their excitement for the impending transgression.
Years pass, and Raimondo dies in World War I. Eugenia, now a Red Cross nurse, reunites with Silvano, her former driver and the man who introduced her to sexual pleasure, now a wounded soldier. Fleeing from his vengeful desires, she escapes to Paris, where he eventually finds her. Despite her attempts to maintain a semblance of propriety, they ultimately fulfill their love dream.