Seven beauties

This film is a journey into the moral awareness of an everyday Neapolitan man - Pasquale Frafuso – ironically nicknamed by local people as Pasqualino Sette Bellezze (seven beauties). In 1930s Fascist Italy, he makes a point of living a carefree life, steering clear of any socio-political discourse. Yet life and history have a different plan for him. So after a funny start, the story takes a dramatic twist, as Pasqualino’s attempt to escape from a mental hospital ends in his imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp. Here he will be forced to face horrible and impossible choices in order to survive.  For this film, Lina Wertmüller was the first female director to be nominated for the Academy Awards in 1977, together with nominations as best screenplay written directly for the screen; best actor in a leading role (Giancarlo Giannini) and best foreign language film.