''Volcano'' (Italian title ''Vulcano'') is a 1950 Italian drama film directed by

William Dieterle William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 – December 9, 1972) was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood primarily a ...

and starring

Anna Magnani Anna Maria Magnani (; 7 March 1908 – 26 September 1973) was an Italian actress.Obituary ''Variety'', 3 October 1973, pg. 47 She was known for her explosive acting and earthy, realistic portrayals of characters. Born in Rome, she worked her ...

Rossano Brazzi Rossano Brazzi (18 September 1916 – 24 December 1994) was an Italian actor. Biography Brazzi was born in Bologna, Italy, the son of Maria Ghedini and Adelmo Brazzi, an employee of the Rizzoli shoe factory. He was named after Rossano Ve ...

, and Geraldine Brooks. It was filmed on location on

Salina Island Salina () is one of the Aeolian Islands north of Sicily, southern Italy. It is the second largest island in the archipelago. Salina is divided between three ''comuni'': Santa Marina on the eastern coast, Malfa to the north, and Leni to the so ...

, in the Aeolian Islands, and in the city of Messina on

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. ''Vulcano'' has been seen by some as a vehicle of revenge by Anna Magnani against her estranged lover at the time, Italian film director

Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such ...

, who had chosen Ingrid Bergman to star in his film series about marriage, instead of her. Rossellini made his film '' Stromboli'' on the nearby volcanic island of Stromboli at the same time as ''Volcano'' was being made on Salina. Both films were shot simultaneously in similar locales in the Aeolian Islands, only 40 km apart; both actresses played independent-minded roles in a neorealist fashion. ''Life'' magazine wrote, "... in an atmosphere crackling with rivalry... Reporters were accredited, like war correspondents, to one or the other of the embattled camps.... Partisanship infected the

Via Veneto Via Vittorio Veneto (), colloquially called Via Veneto, is one of the most famous, elegant, and expensive streets of Rome, Italy. The street is named after the Battle of Vittorio Veneto (1918), a decisive Italian victory of World War I. Federico F ...

(boulevard in Rome), where Magnaniacs and Bergmaniacs clashed frequently." However, Magnani still considered Rossellini the "greatest director she ever acted for".

Plot

The film plot involves a former prostitute, Maddalena Natoli (played by Magnani), who was exiled to the island of her birth by the police. There, she suffers ostracism by the islanders, and she tries to defend the virtue of her younger sister from the advances of a deep-sea diver. ''Vulcano ''runs for about 106 minutes. Volcano
The National Museum of Singapore, ShoutOut!: Film Restoration School Asia. Accessed Oct 2014

Cast

as Maddalena Natoli *

as Donato * Geraldine Brooks as Maria *

Eduardo Ciannelli Eduardo Ciannelli (30 August 1888 – 8 October 1969), was an Italian baritone and character actor with a long career in American films, mostly playing gangsters and criminals. He was sometimes credited as Edward Ciannelli. Early life Ciannelli ...

as Giulio *

Adriano Ambrogi Adriano or Adrião is the form of the Latin given name ''Hadrianus'' commonly used in the Italian language; the form Adrian is used in the English language. Notable people with the name include: * Adriano Banchieri, Italian composer, music theori ...

as Don Antonio *

Lucia Belfadel Lucia may refer to: Arts and culture * ''Lucía'', a 1968 Cuban film by Humberto Solás * ''Lucia'' (film), a 2013 Kannada-language film * '' Lucia & The Best Boys'', a Scottish indie rock band formerly known as ''LUCIA'' * "Lucia", a Swedish c ...

as Carmela *

Cesare Giuffre Cesare, the Italian version of the given name Caesar, may refer to: Given name * Cesare, Marquis of Beccaria (1738–1794), an Italian philosopher and politician * Cesare Airaghi (1840–1896), Italian colonel * Cesare Arzelà (1847–1912), It ...

as Alvaro *

Enzo Staiola Enzo Staiola (born 15 November 1939) is an Italian actor best known for playing, at the age of nine, the role of Bruno Ricci in Vittorio De Sica's neorealist 1948 film ''Bicycle Thieves''. He appeared in several other films including, in 1954, ...

as Nino *

Marcello Gatti Marcello Gatti (9 February 1924 – 26 November 2013) was an Italian cinematographer. Born in Rome, Gatti started as film operator in early 1940s, then debuted as cinematographer in 1953.Stefano Masi, ''Dizionario mondiale dei direttori della foto ...

References

External links

IMDB

The Guardian, Arts
Italian drama films 1950 films 1950 drama films Films directed by William Dieterle Films shot in Italy Films set in Sicily Films set on islands Films set in the Mediterranean Sea Films scored by Enzo Masetti Italian black-and-white films 1950s Italian-language films English-language Italian films 1950s Italian films {{1950s-drama-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links