''Anna'' is a 1951

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

melodrama film A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

directed by

Alberto Lattuada Alberto Lattuada (; 13 November 1914 – 3 July 2005) was an Italian film director. Career Lattuada was born in Vaprio d'Adda, the son of composer Felice Lattuada. He was initially interested in literature, becoming, while still a student, a mem ...

and starring the same trio as ''

Bitter Rice ''Bitter Rice'' ( it, Riso Amaro ) is a 1949 Italian film made by Lux Film, written and directed by Giuseppe De Santis. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis, starring Silvana Mangano, Raf Vallone, Doris Dowling and Vittorio Gassman, ''Bitter Rice'' was ...

'':

Silvana Mangano Silvana Mangano (; 21 April 1930 – 16 December 1989) was an Italian film actress. She was one of a generation of thespians who arose from the neorealist movement, and went on to become a major female star, regarded as a sex symbol for the 19 ...

as Anna, the

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

ner who becomes a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

Raf Vallone The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's Air force, air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal ...

as Andrea, the rich man who loves her, and

Vittorio Gassman Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter. He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important productions ...

as Vittorio, the wicked waiter who sets Anna on a dangerous path. Silvana Mangano's real sister, Patrizia Mangano, acts as Anna's sister in the film.

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...

has a small uncredited role as a nightclub assistant. Future film directors

Franco Brusati Franco Brusati (4 August 1922 in Milan – 28 February 1993 in Rome) was an Italian screenwriter and Film director, director. Biography He directed the internationally commended film hit ''Bread and Chocolate'', one of the finest examples o ...

and

Dino Risi Dino Risi (23 December 1916 – 7 June 2008) was an Italian film director. With Mario Monicelli, Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy and Ettore Scola, he was one of the masters of ''commedia all'italiana''. Biography Risi was born in Milan. He had an o ...

co-wrote the script. The film features the songs "

Non Dimenticar "Non Dimenticar" ("Do Not Forget"), originally titled "T'ho voluto bene" ("I loved you so much"), is a popular song with music by P. G. Redi (Gino Redi, a.k.a. Luigi Pulci), the original Italian lyrics by Michele Galdieri, with English lyrics by She ...

" and "

El Negro Zumbón "El Negro Zumbón" (also known as "Anna") is a baião song written by Armando Trovajoli in 1951 for the film ''Anna'', directed by Alberto Lattuada and starring Silvana Mangano. In the movie, the song is performed in a night club scene by Mangano ...

", a baião popularised in the US as "Anna" and recorded much later by

Pink Martini Pink Martini is an American band that was founded in 1994 by pianist Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon. Group members call it a little orchestra that crosses several styles, such as classical, latin, traditional pop, and jazz. The co-lead vo ...

Plot

A man (Vallone) suffers a car accident. He's taken to hospital, where Sister Anna (Mangano) takes care of him. The man is the reason Anna became a nun. She remembers the days she was leading a life of sin as a night club singer.

Reception

''Anna'' is one of the greatest box office successes of

Italian cinema The cinema of Italy (, ) comprises the films made within Italy or by Italian directors. Since its beginning, Italian cinema has influenced film movements worldwide. Italy is one of the birthplaces of art cinema and the stylistic aspect of film ha ...

. "El Negro Zumbón" became a classic in Italy and Spain.

Nanni Moretti Giovanni "Nanni" Moretti (; born 19 August 1953) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His films have won accolades including a Palme d'Or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival for ''The Son's Room'', a Silver Bear at the ...

paid a tribute in '' Dear Diary'', in which the song is shown on a TV, and the opening of the song is featured in '' Cinema Paradiso''.

Dubbed voices

In the original Italian version, the voices of many actors in the film are dubbed: *Silvana Mangano:

Lydia Simoneschi Lydia Simoneschi (4 April 1908 – 5 September 1981) was an Italian actress and voice actress. During her career, she gave her voice to actresses mainly during the Golden Ages. Biography Born in Rome and the daughter of silent film actor and dire ...

*Vittorio Gassman:

Gualtiero De Angelis Gualtiero De Angelis (November 22, 1899 – June 6, 1980) was an Italian actor and voice actor. He was best known for dubbing James Stewart in the Italian language releases of nearly all of his films. Biography Born in Rome, De Angelis began h ...

*Raf Vallone: Mario Pisu *Gaby Morlay:

Tina Lattanzi Tina Lattanzi (born Annunziata Concetta Costantini; 5 December 1897 – 25 October 1997) was an Italian actress and voice actress. Biography A native of Licenza and the daughter of Ercole Costantini and Geltrude Montori, Lattanzi began her acting ...

*Tina Lattanzi appears in the film as Andrea's mother, and she is dubbed by

Giovanna Scotto Giovanna Scotto (born Giovanna Margherita Piana-Canova; August 26, 1895 – December 23, 1985) was an Italian stage and film actress.Verdone p.111 She also became a prominent voice actress, dubbing foreign films for release in the Italian market. ...

. *Other voices heard in this film are:

Emilio Cigoli Emilio Cardi Cigoli (18 November 1909 – 7 November 1980) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Cigoli was born in Livorno to actress Giovanna Cigoli. His grandfather worked as a silent film actor. He began his career on stage at ...

Giuseppe Rinaldi Giuseppe Rinaldi (14 September 1919 – 15 December 2007) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Rinaldi appeared in more than 20 films between 1939 and 1982. During his time, he was considered of be one of the most greatest and inf ...

Rosetta Calavetta Rosetta Calavetta (27 August 1914 – 3 February 1993) was an Italian actress and voice actress. Biography Born in Palermo, Calavetta made her breakthrough role as a teenager in the 1930 film ''Before the Jury'' in which she had a small role. ...

and

Miranda Bonansea Miranda Bonansea (31 October 1926 – 10 February 2019) was an Italian actress and voice actress. Life Born in Mondovì, Bonansea's father, Piero Bonansea was a photographer for the House of Savoy. At a young age, Bonansea moved to Rome wit ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anna (1951 Film) Films set in Italy Films set in Milan 1951 films Films scored by Nino Rota 1950s Italian-language films 1951 drama films Italian black-and-white films Films directed by Alberto Lattuada Films about Catholic nuns Italian drama films Melodrama films 1950s Italian films