In his comedies, the pitiless gaze that Pietro Germi cast on the immorality of convention became an unmistakeable feature of his style, distinguished by a scrupulous and figurative directing style which – particularly through meticulous montage – portrayed a country that was unable to relinquish its most antiquated values.
Like  “Divorce - Italian Style (Divorzio all’italiana)”, “A Matter of Honor (Sedotta e abbandonata)” is a fierce, corrosive satire, mitigated only by the virginal naivety of Agnese (Stefania Sandrelli, just turned eighteen). Very few of the characters escape the director's scorn as they inexorably plunge to the depths of their moral inadequacy.
Restored by 20th Century Fox in collaboration with Cristaldi Cinema as part of the same series as “Divorzio all’Italiana”, this masterpiece by the Genoese director returns to life in a DVD in which every detail is finely polished. The results of this meticulous restoration project are in no way inferior to the products of the most prestigious international distributors such as the famous “Criterion”.
The video quality is excellent with close to perfect image definition and rigorous compression, free of any perceptible errors. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is also well-made, although it is the original mono version that is most astounding, largely due to the clarity of the dialogues.
To complete this collector's item, Fox and Cristaldi include a package of special features entirely worthy of the film itself that allow for further study and analysis. These include four scenes presented with an alternative montage; the introduction to the film made for its theatre release, which includes a fascinating interview with Pietro Germi; screen-tests by Stefania Sandrelli and two recent interviews with Sandrelli and Lando Buzzanca.

Technical characteristics

DVD type: 9 – Single side, double layer

Area: 2 – Europe

Audio:Italian Dolby Digital 5.1, Italian DolbyDigital 1.0

Video format: 1:85:1 Anamorphic

Subtitles: Italian for the hard of hearing, French, English

Home Video distribution: 20th Century Fox