''Bellissima'' is a 1951 Italian neorealist

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by Luchino Visconti 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 ...

, Walter Chiari and

Tecla Scarano Tecla Scarano (20 August 1894 – 22 December 1978) was an Italian actress and singer. She appeared in more than 30 films between 1937 and 1966. Life and career Born in Naples, the daughter of tenor Giovanni Moretti and operetta singer Ann ...

. The film is a satire of the postwar Italian film industry, and particularly the dreams of stardom encouraged by the neorealist movement which plucked out ordinary members of the public to appear in productions. Bellissima is the only feature film in Visconti's oeuvre with a predominantly comic tone. It was not a box office success.

Production

Alessandro Blasetti Alessandro Blasetti (3 July 1900 – 1 February 1987) was an Italian film director and screenwriter who influenced Italian neorealism with the film ''Quattro passi fra le nuvole''. Blasetti was one of the leading figures in Italian cinema during ...

, a contemporary film director, appears as himself. Keeping in with the tradition of neorealism a number of roles went to members of the public. Magnani played a part in their selection, approving of Gastone Renzelli a

butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesal ...

who was cast as her husband.Gundle p.3 The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Gianni Polidori Gianni Polidori (1923–1992) was an Italian art director. He designed the sets for several films by Michelangelo Antonioni.Chatman p.266-67 Selected filmography * '' Bellissima'' (1951) * '' Honeymoon Deferred'' (1951) * ''The Overcoat'' (1952) ...

. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios, which appear prominently in the film.

Plot

''Bellissima'' centers on a working-class mother in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Maddalena (Anna Magnani), who drags her young daughter (Tina Apicella) to

Cinecittà Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City Studios), is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios we ...

to attend an audition for a new film by Alessandro Blasetti. Maddalena is a stage mother who loves movies and whose efforts to promote her daughter grow increasingly frenzied.

Cast

as Maddalena Cecconi * Walter Chiari as Alberto Annovazzi *Tina Apicella as Maria Cecconi *Gastone Renzelli as Spartaco Cecconi *

as Tilde Spernanzoni *

Lola Braccini Lola Braccini, born Camilla Cariddi (28 March 1889 - 19 March 1969) was an Italian film, television and stage actress. Life and career Born in Pisa, Braccini moved to Rome at 14 years old and debuted on stage in 1912 as an extra at the Teatro ...

as the photographer's wife * Arturo Bragaglia as the photographer *Nora Ricci as the laundry girl *Vittorina Benvenuti * Linda Sini as Mimmetta *Teresa Battaggi as a mother *Gisella Monaldi as a concierge *Amalia Pellegrini *

Corrado Mantoni Corrado Mantoni (2 August 1924 – 8 June 1999), known simply as Corrado, was an Italian radio and television host. Biography He was born in Rome, where he followed classic studies and in jurisprudence; before finishing university studies he s ...

as radio announcer

Awards

*Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists

Nastro d'Argento The Nastro d'Argento, also known by its translated name Silver Ribbon, is an Italian film award awarded each year since 1946 by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Italian: ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani ...

**Winner: Best Actress (Migliore Attrice)-

References

Bibliography

* Gundle, Stephen. ''Fame Amid the Ruins: Italian Film Stardom in the Age of Neorealism''. Berghahn Books, 2019.

External links

* * Pauline Kael'
review

1951 films 1951 comedy-drama films Italian comedy-drama films Italian neorealist films 1950s Italian-language films Italian black-and-white films Films set in Rome Films directed by Luchino Visconti Films with screenplays by Suso Cecchi d'Amico Films with screenplays by Cesare Zavattini Films shot at Cinecittà Studios 1950s Italian films {{1950s-Italy-film-stub