Perhaps bricklayers should have another trade ready for those off months between the fall and late winter, finding that not many people need a new chimney during the winter unless there's an emergency which is the case with the wealthy Faye Dunaway, a lonely widow with her eyes on working-class men. Bricklayer Joseph Mantega is finding it difficult to make ends meet, ask out of the blue by his best friend to take over a job because he needs the money more, having left his house because he can't stand the fact that his hated mother-in-law is visiting. Indeed, the old that does nothing but bash her son-in-law from the moment he arrives, in her one scene, and fortunately, he's not there or the old battleaxe would end up face-first out in the snow. She badgers her grandchildren to find out if he's drinking or fooling around, and then calls them all idiots when they don't give her the answer she wants to hear.

Fortunately his wife Ornella Muti is nothing like her mother, and hopefully never will be, although she does a few things throughout the film that makes you wonder. For the most part, she is a very loving wife and mother oh, but maybe not the brightest when it comes to her emotions and financial matters, really finding that money can burn when he brings it home after getting paid by Dunaway. Gossip going around town indicates that there's more going on than him fixing her fireplace, and after she doesn't even give him a chance to tell his own side of the story, he walks out and takes up with Dunaway, but it's obvious that both will quickly become bored and he'll want to return to home and hearth.

The best part of this film is the character whose narrative the story is told through. Oldest son Michael Bacall is constantly seeing going to confession in some very amusing scenes, and it's his actions that set into motion a reconciliation. Bacall is absolutely delightful, and brings on laughs without even as much as a smirk, whether dealing with the tough nun in his classroom or indicating how many times he has taken the Lord's name in vain, with the lies he tells his parents to get them back together. Mantega is the epitome of tough macho Italian pride, but loving his family nonetheless. He's always a delight to watch. Dunaway doesn't really get to show much of what is going on in her character's mind so the viewer pretty much has to guess her motives. But she is commanding nonetheless, and until her final scene where she has to realize she's lost the battle, she keeps it all cool, calm and collected, and that results in a very good performance from her. Still the film is rather ordinary, although the atmosphere is beautiful and the time period nicely portrayed. A few minor subplots get in the way but overall it's a decent and well-acted drama with some nice light moments of comedy.

Svevo Bandini is married with Maria and father of three sons. He's also an unemployed bricklayer who spends all his money at the pool hall, so that wife and kids won't have any presents for Christmas.

With the help of fellow Italian immigrant Rocco, Svevo gets work at the house of rich widow Hildegarde and sort of moves there, so as to avoid the mother-in-law he cannot stand.

The point is, mother-in-law is actually right, Svevo is a disrespectful cheater, good for not much and her daughter Maria could have done better, but the plot still adheres to the male point of view, so that women are either hags or desperate for male attention.

After having decamped with the widow, Svevo tries to go back home but Maria is upset and kicks him out, therefore son Arturo concocts some lies to convince his mother to take back Svevo. All of this in slow motion and mixed with Arturo's growing pain.

The way in which the film was made,between hope and despair, with a black and heavy atmosphere, telling a woman which accepts all from her husband by love for his children, convinced me. Ornella Mutti, which is one of the most known Italian actress, is beautiful as always in her role of wife, Faye Dunaway, older than usual, is the perfect image of the black widow and Joe Montagna gives all of himself as leading actor. In spite of the time spent between my first and only vision and my vote (more than 10 years) I always have in memory the course of the action, and that is the proof of the quality of film made by a Belgian director, and for Belgium is yet a success.