Character Relationship Map: The Dolls

Characters

• Giorgio (segment "La telefonata") (played by Nino Manfredi) — protagonist

  Giorgio is Luisa's husband. While she tries to read, he pesters her and remains nearby as she speaks with her mother by phone. Luisa defends their relationship, insisting that they are married and tha...

• Ulla (segment "Il Trattato di Eugenetica") (played by Elke Sommer) — supporting

  Ulla takes part with Massimo in a scheme to produce a perfect baby, though she becomes nervous and repeatedly disrupts his scientific approach. She insists that Massimo must become physically tired be...

• Vincenzo (segment "Monsignor Cupido") (played by Jean Sorel) — supporting

  Vincenzo is Monsignor Arendi's nephew. A woman who seeks the Monsignor's help accuses Vincenzo of molesting and persecuting her with his eyes. The accusation is left unresolved, placing Monsignor Aren...

• Massimo (segment "Il Trattato di Eugenetica") (played by Maurizio Arena) — supporting

  Massimo pursues a scheme with Ulla to produce a perfect baby and treats the process as a scientific experiment. He tests people with puzzles and insists that his method works, but Ulla's nervousness a...

• Giovanna (segment "La Minestra") (played by Monica Vitti) — supporting

  Giovanna becomes distressed when her husband is late and fears he may be dead. She goes searching for him, then is horrified when men show her a body beneath a car and demand payment. She mourns and s...

• Luisa (segment "La Telefonata") (played by Virna Lisi) — supporting

  Luisa tries to read while her husband, Giorgio, pesters her, then gets caught in an awkward phone call with her mother. She insists that her mother has misunderstood an affectionate moment and explain...

• Valerio (segment "Il Tratatto di Eugenetica") (played by Piero Focaccia) — minor

  Valerio repeatedly interrupts Massimo and Ulla's scheme to produce a perfect baby, helping derail Massimo's attempt to manage conception as a scientific experiment. His interruptions contribute to the...

• Monsignor Arendi (segment "Monsignor Cupido") (played by Akim Tamiroff) — supporting

  Monsignor Arendi is approached by a woman seeking help because she says she cannot tell her husband or confront the other man. He assumes she has come to confess, but she says her conscience is clear...

• Husband (segment "La minestra") (played by John Karlsen) — supporting

  Giovanna's husband is late, causing her to fear that he may be dead and to go out searching for him. Men show Giovanna a body beneath a car, but the apparent tragedy collapses when he is revealed to b...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Monsignor Arendi (segment "Monsignor Cupido") → Vincenzo (segment "Monsignor Cupido") (Family Uncle And Nephew) — Monsignor Arendi must reckon with an unresolved accusation against his nephew.

  The woman identifies Vincenzo as Monsignor Arendi's nephew while accusing him of molesting and persecuting her with his eyes.

• Giovanna (segment "La Minestra") → Husband (segment "La minestra") (Family Wife And Husband) — Giovanna's fear and mourning give way to relief when her husband is revealed to be alive; she clings to him during their ride.

  Giovanna fears that her husband may be dead, searches for him, and later discovers he is alive.

• Massimo (segment "Il Trattato di Eugenetica") → Ulla (segment "Il Trattato di Eugenetica") (Romantic Conception Partners) — Their attempt to conceive becomes a comic contest between Massimo's scientific procedure and Ulla's strict conditions.

  Massimo and Ulla pursue a scheme intended to produce a perfect baby, and he tries to calm her while they attempt to follow his method.

• Giorgio (segment "La telefonata") → Luisa (segment "La Telefonata") (Family Husband And Wife) — Giorgio pesters Luisa while she tries to read, and she defends their marriage during an awkward phone call.

  Luisa explains to her mother that she and Giorgio are married and that he respects her.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Ulla (segment "Il Trattato di Eugenetica") → Valerio (segment "Il Tratatto di Eugenetica") (Conflict Plan Disruptors) — Valerio's interruptions add obstacles to Ulla's already nervous effort to follow the plan.

  The plot says Valerio's interruptions and Ulla's nervousness repeatedly derail the plan.

• Massimo (segment "Il Trattato di Eugenetica") → Valerio (segment "Il Tratatto di Eugenetica") (Conflict Plan Disruptors) — Valerio's interruptions obstruct Massimo's carefully managed conception experiment.

  The plot says Valerio's interruptions repeatedly derail Massimo and Ulla's plan.

Story Analysis

Four comic episodes explore marriage, desire, misunderstandings, and the awkward consequences of trying to control intimate relationships.

Plot Progression

1. A Marriage Misunderstood — Luisa tries to read while Giorgio pesters her. During a phone call, she defends their marriage and attempts to explain a misunderstood moment of affection.
2. Science Meets Stamina — Massimo applies his purported scientific method to the plan for a perfect baby, while Valerio's interruptions and Ulla's nervousness interfere. Ulla imposes exercise as a condition, turning the plan i...
3. Mourning Turns to Relief — Giovanna worries when her husband is late and searches for him despite others' reassurances. A body beneath a car appears to confirm her fears, but the tragedy abruptly becomes farce when her husband...
4. An Unresolved Complaint — A woman asks Monsignor Arendi for help but says her conscience is clear. She accuses his nephew Vincenzo of molesting and persecuting her with his eyes, leaving the allegation unresolved.