A must-see for Marisa Mell fans? Not quite sure. "Bella, ricca..." is a talkative, old-fashioned, and unfortunately dusty Italian comedy about the dangers of feminism. Actually, it's attitude is based on sexism. The feminists in this movie are portrayed as an ugly, frustrated bunch of witches who beat up every man that crosses their path. Well, there must have been some people who thought this was funny, because it was a great hit in Italy when it was released in 1973. Odd enough.
And what about Miss Mell? She certainly had star-qualities. She received a star billing here, her name appears above the title. If you watch this for her, you'll be disappointed: Her first appearance comes after 53 minutes. There is a funny twist in the end, though, when the male lead wants to join her in the bathroom, opens the shower curtain and discovers that this beautiful woman is a man! While he was in prison, Marisa/Paola had a sex change and became Paolo. She/he then fell in love with Erica Blanc (the wife of our poor leading man) and actually got her pregnant. Marisa is dubbed in the last few minutes by a man to give her at least some masculinity. This actually IS very funny. The rest of the film ... sorry ... kind of sucks.
And what about Miss Mell? She certainly had star-qualities. She received a star billing here, her name appears above the title. If you watch this for her, you'll be disappointed: Her first appearance comes after 53 minutes. There is a funny twist in the end, though, when the male lead wants to join her in the bathroom, opens the shower curtain and discovers that this beautiful woman is a man! While he was in prison, Marisa/Paola had a sex change and became Paolo. She/he then fell in love with Erica Blanc (the wife of our poor leading man) and actually got her pregnant. Marisa is dubbed in the last few minutes by a man to give her at least some masculinity. This actually IS very funny. The rest of the film ... sorry ... kind of sucks.
