Mandragola (1965)
Directed by Alberto Lattuada
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Synopsis by Sandra Brennan
A husband desperate for an heir, will do anything to produce one in this Italian drama, adapted from the long-banned Machiavelli classic. In desperation, the man sends his devoted wife to a man pretending to be a doctor. He convinces her to drink an infusion of mandrake weed, which he claims will kill the first man she has sex with, and render her fertile simultaneously. Not wanting to kill her husband, she sleeps with another--the doctor in disguise. Afterwards, he reveals his identity and the two fall in love. She feels no remorse as she realizes her husband cares only for an heir and not her.
Characteristics
Keywords
child, cure, deception, disguise, dishonesty, doctor/nurse, husband, loot, love, love-triangle, neglect, potion, pregnancy, spouse, sterility, toddlers, victim, wife
