How to Lose a Wife and Find a Lover

How to Lose a Wife and Find a Lover

Year: 1978

Runtime: 93 mins

Language: Italian

Director: Pasquale Festa Campanile

Comedy

Alberto deceived by his wife, goes to some place in the mountains to escape. There he meets a woman who was there for the same reasons that he was.

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Timeline & Setting – How to Lose a Wife and Find a Lover (1978)

Explore the full timeline and setting of How to Lose a Wife and Find a Lover (1978). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Italian mountains, remote inn

Most of the story unfolds in a remote mountain inn tucked in the Italian mountains. The isolation of the highlands creates an intimate space where chance encounters escalate into a complicated romance. Snowy weather, skiing scenes, and a mountain rescue team provide a rugged, seasonal backdrop to the events. The setting functions almost as a character driving humor and longing.

🏔️ Mountain setting 🏨 Remote inn ❄️ Winter landscape

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:13

Main Characters – How to Lose a Wife and Find a Lover (1978)

Meet the key characters of How to Lose a Wife and Find a Lover (1978), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Alberto Castelli (Johnny Dorelli)

A publicity manager for a dairy company who spirals into despair after discovering his wife with another man. He drinks heavily and pursues impulsive affairs, revealing charisma shadowed by insecurity. His arc blends reckless whimsy with a longing for authentic connection.

💼 Publicity 🥃 Alcohol-fueled 💘 Romantic entanglements

Eleonora Rubens (Barbara Bouchet)

Alberto's wife, who experiences her own existential crisis after infidelity within the marriage. She seeks escape and emotional clarity, eventually sharing a room in the mountain inn with Marisa and exploring a spark with a stranger. She is independent, skeptical of conventional marriage, and drawn to a dangerous, alluring connection.

💍 Wife 💔 Betrayed 🧭 Independent

Marisa (Stefania Casini)

A young friend of Eleonora who joins the inn's cast of guests and becomes entangled in the web of events. She is lively and impulsive, ends up sharing a bed with Eleonora’s guest, and later pursues a modeling opportunity during a company casting.

🌟 Aspiring model 🧭 Naive 🎭 Catalyst

The Guru (Enzo Cannavale)

A psychiatrist-like figure who offers unconventional guidance, advising the couple to rest in the mountains. He embodies the film’s mix of humor, spiritualism, and therapeutic meddling in romantic misadventures.

🧭 Therapist 🌀 Satirical mentor

The Chaplain in the armed services (Pietro Tordi)

A mountain rescue chaplain who solemnly marries Alberto and Eleonora 'in articulo mortis' after they are found entwined in a haystack. He reflects earnestness with the film's offbeat, improvised tone.

⛪ Religious figure 💬 Social observer

Dottor Rossini (Felice Andreasi)

A psychiatrist who directs Alberto and Eleonora toward a mountain rest, framing the story around mental strain, desire, and the search for balance through professional guidance.

🧠 Psychiatrist 🧭 Guidance

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:13

Major Themes – How to Lose a Wife and Find a Lover (1978)

Explore the central themes of How to Lose a Wife and Find a Lover (1978), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💔 Infidelity

The narrative centers on marital betrayal and secret affairs, as Alberto and Eleonora seek connection outside their marriages. Their choices strain loyalty and reveal the fragility of commitment amid desire. The comedy softens the consequences while still showing the personal costs of infidelity. The mountain retreat amplifies private impulsiveness and the tension between duty and desire.

🏔️ Isolation

The remote mountain setting isolates the characters, intensifying attraction and conflict away from everyday norms. This seclusion forces candid confessions and impulsive acts that propel the plot. The wintry landscape and small inn create a claustrophobic space where danger and humor mingle.

🕊️ Chance and Fate

A string of improbable encounters nudges the lovers toward an unlikely union. Accidental shared beds, drunken escapades, and a rescue mission culminate in a wedding officiated by a chaplain, lending a sense of fate to their relationship. The resolution suggests romance born from circumstance and the imperfect pursuit of happiness.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:13

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How to Lose a Wife and Find a Lover Summary

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How to Lose a Wife and Find a Lover Summary

How to Lose a Wife and Find a Lover Timeline

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How to Lose a Wife and Find a Lover Timeline

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