The Witches (Le streghe)

Le streghe (The Witches) is a 1967 Italian-French anthology film produced by Dino De Laurentiis, built from five standalone episodes directed by Luchino Visconti, Mauro Bolognini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Franco Rossi and Vittorio De Sica. Silvana Mangano headlines every segment, playing a different woman in each, as the episodes move between comedy and drama while touching on the position of women in Italian society and the recurring figure of the witch. The segments range from a story of a witch burned alive and a satire on civic duty, to a tale of the Earth seen from the Moon, a Sicilian drama and a closing episode about an evening like any other. The ensemble also includes Alberto Sordi, Totò, Annie Girardot and Clint Eastwood, with Eastwood appearing in De Sica's final segment. The film holds a place in cinema history as the last picture starring Totò to be released during his lifetime.