''Angels of Darkness'' (Italian: ''Donne proibite'') is a 1954 Italian

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

Giuseppe Amato Giuseppe Amato (born Giuseppe Vasaturo; 24 August 1899 – 3 February 1964) was an Italian film producer, screenwriter and director. He produced 58 films between 1932 and 1961, and is especially known for ''Bicycle Thieves''. He was born in ...

and starring Linda Darnell, Anthony Quinn and

Valentina Cortese Valentina Cortese (1 January 1923 – 10 July 2019) was an Italian actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in François Truffaut's ''Day for Night'' (1973). Personal life Cortese was bor ...

. 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 ...

Virgilio Marchi Virgilio Marchi (21 January 1895 – 30 April 1960) was an Italian architect and art director. He designed the sets for more than fifty films during his career. Marchi was stylistically identified with the Futurist movement.Sabatino, Michelangelo ...

Plot

A brothel is suddenly closed as a prostitute, Tamara, attempts suicide by throwing herself out of the window; she is admitted to the hospital in serious condition. Three of her colleagues, Vally, Franca and Lola, are forced to ask for hospitality from Rosa, who has long since abandoned the profession and now has a nice apartment. Vally wants to change her life and meets Francesco from Abruzzo. They decide to get married, but since the man has to emigrate, they resort to a marriage by proxy. When the young man discovers his troubled past about him, he reproaches it; the woman escapes from despair and goes to meet a tragic death. Tamara, physically damaged, after her hospitalization, has a mystical crisis and will be welcomed in an institute of nuns; Franca, who already has a daughter, finds a job and welcomes her into her new home. Lola, on the other hand, under the armor of unscrupulousness actually has a sensitive and generous soul. She decides to return to her elderly parents, but discovers that her sister is now close to marriage: to avoid a scandal she decides to give up and resigns herself to returning to the city, to the brothel which has reopened its doors in the meantime; but she realizes that she is seriously ill.

Cast

* Linda Darnell as Lola Baldi * Anthony Quinn as Francesco Caserto *

as Vally *

Lea Padovani Lea Padovani (28 July 1920 – 23 June 1991) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 60 films between 1945 and 1990. She starred in the film '' Black Dossier'' which was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. Partial filmography ...

as Franca *

Giulietta Masina Giulia Anna "Giulietta" Masina (22 February 1921 – 23 March 1994) was an Italian film actress best known for her performances as Gelsomina in ''La Strada'' (1954) and Cabiria in ''Nights of Cabiria'' (1957), for which she won the Cannes Film F ...

as Rosita *

Lilla Brignone Lilla Brignone (23 August 1913 – 24 March 1984) was an Italian film and theater actress. She appeared in 40 films between 1930 and 1982. Her father was film director and actor Guido Brignone and her aunt was actress Mercedes Brignone. Her ...

as Tamara *

Carlo Dapporto Carlo Dapporto (26 June 1911 – 1 October 1989) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 35 films between 1944 and 1987. He was born in Sanremo, Italy and died in Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC ...

as Vittorio * Alberto Farnese as The Sportsman *

Alberto Talegalli Alberto Talegalli (2 October 1913 – 10 July 1961) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 37 films between 1952 and 1961. He was born in Pincano (Spoleto), Italy and died in Gualdo Tadino, in the province of Perugia, Italy. Life and c ...

as A relative of Francesco's * Checco Durante as Another relative of Francesco's * Roberto Risso as Bruno *

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 Signora Capello *

Maria Pia Casilio Maria-Pia Casilio (5 May 1935 – 10 April 2012) was an Italian film actress, best known for major roles in ''Umberto D.'' and ''Un americano a Roma''. Born in San Pio delle Camere, L'Aquila, Casilio was quite active between 1952 and 1960, ...

as The Young Girl *

Rossella Falk Rossella Falk (10 November 1926 – 5 May 2013) was an Italian actress. She had a long career and is possibly best known for appearing in ''8½'' by Federico Fellini in 1963. Life and career Born in Rome as Rosa Antonia Falzacappa, Falk gradu ...

as Morena * Tino Buazzelli as mayor of Stefano * Aldo Silvani as senior doctor * Anita Durante as wife of Amilcare *

Gina Amendola Gina or GINA or ''variation'' may refer to: Gina Gina may refer to: * Gina (given name), multiple individuals * Gina (Canaan), a town in ancient Canaan * Arihant (Jainism), also called gina, a term for a human who has conquered his or her inner p ...

* as Gelsomina *

Anna Maria Bottini Anna Maria Bottini (24 March 1916 – 9 August 2020) was an Italian actress. Biography Bottini attended the Accademia dei Filodrammatici in Milan, where she graduated in 1936, beginning her acting career at the end of World War II. A character ac ...

as Tamara's friend * Miranda Campa as woman with red carnation *

Antonio Cifariello Antonio Cifariello (19 May 1930 – 12 December 1968) was an Italian actor and documentarist. Life and career Born in Naples, son of the sculptor Filippo Cifariello, Antonio started his career in 1950 as the main actor, credited as Fabio ...

as Dr. Carlo * Edoardo Toniolo as third doctor * Pina Piovani * Maria Zanoli as elderly patient *

Alberto Plebani Alberto is the Romance languages, Romance version of the Latinized form (''Albertus'') of Germanic languages, Germanic ''Albert (given name), Albert''. It is used in Italian language, Italian, Portuguese language, Portuguese and Spanish language, ...

* Margherita Bagni as mother of Bruno * Memmo Carotenuto as baker *

Cristina Fantoni Cristina is a female given name, and it is also a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Cristina (daughter of Edward the Exile), 11th-century English princess *Cristina (singer), Cristina Monet-Palaci (1956–2020), American s ...

* Rina Dei * Mino Doro * Luigi Pigliacelli * Patrizia Remiddi as Bambola

References

Bibliography

* Gino Moliterno. ''The A to Z of Italian Cinema''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links

* 1954 films 1954 drama films 1950s English-language films English-language Italian films 1950s Italian-language films Italian drama films Films directed by Giuseppe Amato Films set in Rome Films with screenplays by Cesare Zavattini Films scored by Renzo Rossellini Italian black-and-white films Melodrama films 1950s multilingual films Italian multilingual films 1950s Italian films {{1950s-Italy-film-stub