Mazilli never lets go. Mazilli is a man who will not compromise or dilute the ultimate goal with the odd trip back to Italy. Just as The Odyssey, all journeys are not about the destination, but about the twists and turns that drive you continuously off course.
If anything makes Mazilli's story a little different, it is this. Of the two worst things in life (never getting what you want, getting what you want), Mazilli discovers the latter.
One of the characters anticipates this when she approves of the wife's decision to let him go: 'You did right. Italy has always been Gina Lollobrigida for him. But Gina Lollobrigida is only Gina Lollobrigida up there on the screen. She does not exist. Let him get close. He'll see she has wrinkles and sagging boobs.'
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