But David drubbed Goliath so spectacularly that Hitler, to rescue its ally Italy and save face, had to send his juggernaut to Greece, which it occupied in April 1941. That's most of the male population of the Sicilian seaside town of Castelcuto. But all, from pubescent to elderly lust after gorgeous, 27-year old Malena. Her husband is away in the army. She lives an almost reclusive life, has no apparent acquaintances.
Men compensate for their frustrated libido with nasty remarks.
Jealous local women are ready with catty comments. Malena, while more ambiguously and less obviously inflammatory than Loren, is conscious of the stir she causes, keeps a deadpan face, and hardly ever speaks. Unconscious of their desire for a local beauty, they take out their confusion on her and her boyfriend, stalk them, and play silly pranks on the couple. The movie portrays the Sicilians as loud and excitable, in a post-neorealist way. Then comes a change of modes and moods.