She established an idiosyncratic reputation for blending tragedy and farce, politics and sex. She was the first woman to be nominated for a best director Oscar.
I basilischi (1963;
The Lizards). At about this time she became friends with the actor Giancarlo Giannini, who would star in most of her subsequent films.
Wertmüller achieved international fame with her fifth film,
Mimi metallurgico ferito nell’onore (1972; variously entitled
The Seduction of Mimi or
Mimi the Metalworker, Wounded in Honour), a satire on sexual hypocrisy and changing social mores. Her next picture was
Film d’amore e d’anarchia… (1973;
Love and Anarchy), about an anarchist torn between his plot to assassinate Benito Mussolini and his love for a prostitute who has given him shelter in a Rome brothel. Wertmüller’s two finest films are