''La Tratta delle bianche'' (" The Trade in White Women") is a 1952 Italian-language

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by Luigi Comencini. It stars

Eleonora Rossi Drago Eleonora Rossi Drago, born Palmira Omiccioli, (23 September 1925 – 2 December 2007) was an Italian film actress. She was born in Quinto al Mare, Genoa, Italy, and had the leading role in ''Le amiche''. She appeared in ''Un maledetto imbro ...

Marc Lawrence Marc Lawrence (born Max Goldsmith; February 17, 1910 – November 28, 2005) was an American character actor who specialized in underworld types. He has also been credited as F. A. Foss, Marc Laurence and Marc C. Lawrence. Early life Lawrence w ...

, Ettore Manni,

Tamara Lees Tamara Lees (14 December 1924 – 22 December 1999), born as, Diana Helena Tamara Mapplebeck was an Austrian-born English film actress. She appeared in 48 films between 1947 and 1961. Selected filmography * ''While the Sun Shines'' (1947) ...

Barbara Florian Barbara Florian (born 1931) is a retired Swedish film actress known for her work in Italian cinema.Small p.129 Selected filmography * ''The Devil in the Convent'' (1950) * '' Carcerato'' (1951) * '' Rome-Paris-Rome'' (1951) * '' Red Moon'' (1951) ...

, Silvana Pampanini, 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 ...

. In 1954, the film was released in the United States as ''Girls Marked Danger''. For its American release, the film was dubbed in English.

Plot

A man invites Italian women to become cabaret dancers in South America, but he is actually forcing them into sexual slavery.

Cast

Production

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 ...

had a small role in the film as a fainting dancer in a marathon. Despite her minor role, Loren appeared in advertisements for the film's release in the United States. The only well-known American member of the cast was

, who had moved to Rome from Hollywood after being called before the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...

, but many of the Italian cast were also already known to Americans. The film was dubbed into English for its U.S. release.

Reception

George Burke, of the ''

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a List of communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida, city in western Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the M ...

'', said, "It is possible that ''Girls Marked Danger'' had some merit before it was dubbed with English dialogue that is not always in the mood or movement of the action". In 1959, Pope John XXIII had the Catholic Church's National Legion of Decency classify films for the Association of Catholic Motion Picture Theater Operators of Italy's anniversary. Catholics were not supposed to watch those classified as morally objectionable. The article for ''Girls Marked Danger'' stated: "Objection: The theme of this picture employs throughout material morally unsuitable for entertainment motion picture theaters. Moreover, in treatment, it contains offensive and suggestive sequences." The National Legion of Decency is now known as the National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures. Advertising material for the film's theatrical release is held at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin within its Hoblitzelle Interstate Theatre Circuit Advertising Collection.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Girls Marked Danger 1952 films 1950s Italian-language films Films directed by Luigi Comencini Films scored by Armando Trovajoli Italian crime drama films 1952 crime drama films Italian black-and-white films Melodrama films Films about slavery Obscenity controversies in film 1950s Italian films