AllMovie

Proibito (Forbidden) is based on Grazia Deledda's Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Mother. Mel Ferrer stars as Don Pablo, a priest who returns to his provincial home in Sardegna. Here he discovers to his dismay that a centuries-old feud between two families is still raging. Don Pablo hopes to bring peace to the community, but his task seems insurmountable. Meanwhile, the priest's childhood friend Agnese (Lea Massari) secretly continues to harbor a stronger affection for Don Pablo than she should. Even those critics who were cool to the stars and plotline of Proibito were bowled over by the Technicolor cinematography of Aldo Tonti.