il fiore sotto gli occhi (1944)

two spouses are in sentimental crisis. the husband, who is a history professor and has written a book, agrees with his wife to devise a system to overcome the state of tension: they will go on holiday to a hotel on lake maggiore, but separated, pretending not to know each other. on the spot the professor sees an old flame of his, an actress of variety, the wife is instead the object of the attentions of a mature publisher. in the end, however, his innate honesty prevails over his wife and his newfound professional serenity over her husband and, above all, they realize that they cannot live far from each other.