Siamo donne (1953)

Directors:

Gianni Franciolini
Alfredo Guarini
(more)

Writers:

Cesare Zavattini (story)
Luigi Chiarini (screenplay) (segment "Alida Valli")
(more)

Release Date:

22 October 1953 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Five portraits of actresses in their "common" life, seen as women rather than movie stars. |

Plot Keywords:

Taxi Driver | Carabinieri | Dog

Cast

Ingrid Bergman	...	Herself (segment "Ingrid Bergman")
Anna Magnani	...	Herself (segment "Anna Magnani")
Isa Miranda	...	Herself (segment "Isa Miranda")
Alida Valli	...	Herself (segment "Alida Valli")
Anna Amendola	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza")
Emma Danieli	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza")
Cristina Doria	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza")
Cristina Fantoni	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (as Cristina Fanton)
Madeleine Fischer	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (as Madeleine Fisher)
Cristina Grado	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (as Maria Cristina Grado)
Maria Grazia Jacomelli	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza")
Donatella Marrosu	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza")
Gina Mellucci	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza")
Mara Todisco	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza")
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lello Bersani	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Dina Bini	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Doria Catosso	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Regina Dainelli	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Christina Deria	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Marisa Funaro	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Rossana Galli	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Roberto Giagnoni	...	Himself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Luciana Gilli	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Rosa Giovannini	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Alfredo Guarini	...	Himself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Liliana Mais	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Marcella Mariani	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Anna Maria Mazzarini	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Lia Natali	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Renzo Rossellini	...	Himself (segment "Ingrid Bergman") (uncredited)
Angela Scopelliti	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)
Alba Settacioli	...	(segment "Ingrid Bergman") (uncredited)
Solimano	...	Herself (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza") (uncredited)

Directed by
Gianni Franciolini		(segment "Alida Valli")
Alfredo Guarini		(segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza")
Roberto Rossellini		(segment "Ingrid Bergman")
Luchino Visconti		(segment "Anna Magnani")
Luigi Zampa		(segment "Isa Miranda")

Writing credits
Cesare Zavattini		(story and screenplay)
Luigi Chiarini		(screenplay) (segment "Alida Valli")
Giorgio Prosperi		(screenplay) (segment "Isa Miranda")
Luigi Chiarini		(screenplay) (segment "Ingrid Bergman")
Luigi Chiarini		(screenplay) (segment "Isa Miranda")
Suso Cecchi d'Amico		(screenplay) (segment "Anna Magnani")
Alfredo Guarini		screenplay (segment "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza")
Roberto Rossellini		screenplay (segment "Ingrid Bergman")
Luigi Zampa		screenplay (segment "Isa Miranda")

Produced by
Alfredo Guarini	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Alessandro Cicognini

Cinematography by
Otello Martelli		(segments "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza" and "Ingrid Bergman")
Gábor Pogány		(segment "Anna Magnani") (as Gabor Pogany)
Domenico Scala		(segment "Isa Miranda")
Enzo Serafin		(segment "Alida Valli")

Film Editing by
Jolanda Benvenuti		(segment "Ingrid Bergman") (as Iolanda Benvenuti)
Eraldo Da Roma		(segment "Isa Miranda")
Adriana Novelli		(segment "Alida Valli")
Mario Serandrei		(segments "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza" and "Anna Magnani")

Production Design by
Ugo Boettler		(uncredited)

Production Management
Giancarlo Campidori	....	assistant production manager (segments "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza", "Ingrid Bergman" and "Isa Miranda")
Marcello D'Amico	....	production manager (segments "Alida Valli", "Ingrid Bergman" and "Isa Miranda")
Pietro Notarianni	....	assistant production manager (segment "Alida Valli")
Giorgio Riganti	....	assistant production manager (segment "Alida Valli")
Elio Scardamaglia	....	production manager (segments "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza" and "Anna Magnani")
Vico Vaccaro	....	assistant production manager (segments "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza" and "Anna Magnani")

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marcello Caracciolo Di Laurino	....	assistant director (segment "Alida Valli") (as Marcello Di Laurino)
Nicolò Ferrari	....	assistant director (segments "Concorso 4 Attrici 1 Speranza" and "Ingrid Bergman")
Nanni Loy	....	assistant director (segment "Isa Miranda") (as Giovanni Loy)
Francesco Maselli	....	assistant director (segment "Anna Magnani")

Sound Department
Giorgio Pallotta	....	sound

Production Companies

• Titanus
• Film Costellazione Produzione (as Costellazione Guarini)
• Casa di Riposo degli Artisti Cinematografici Italiani (support)

Distributors

• Titanus Distribuzione (1953) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Les Films Marceau (1954) (France) (theatrical)
• Distributors Corporation of America (DCA) (1958) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• I.F.E. Releasing Corporation (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• F.J. Lucas (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Edizioni Nazionalmusic  music published by (as Edizioni Nazionalmusic Milano)
• Tecnostampa  post-production

Also Known As:

We, the Women (UK) (USA)
Of Life and Love (USA)

Runtime:

95 min | Italy:100 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Titanus Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Titanus

Movie Connections:

References Le mensonge de Nina Petrovna (1937/I)

Four Great Ladies, Four So-So Ideas

A real curio, this one. Four famous actresses play themselves in four sketches, each one based (allegedly) on an incident from her own life. Mind you, only a saint or a masochist would have the patience to sit through the first part, directed by producer Alfredo Guarini - where two unknown girls go for screen test at Cinecitta Studios in Rome. Don't worry, this is family entertainment, so no unseemly fumbling about on casting couches for these two.

It does pick up considerably once the divas appear. Alida Valli goes to an engagement party for her humble masseuse, and is taken aback when the other guests treat her 'like a star' - and she herself feels a forbidden attraction to the girl's future husband. Ingrid Bergman engages in a war of nerves with a recalcitrant chicken. (No, I'm not joking!) Isa Miranda drives an injured boy to hospital, and regrets having no children of her own. Anna Magnani rages at a taxi driver who dares charge extra for her toy dog. At the end, she goes onstage and sings. Divinely.

Like any film made up of sketches, Siamo Donne is wildly uneven. The Bergman and Miranda episodes are wafer-thin, and seem overlong even at 15 to 20 minutes. Valli's is beautifully observed, and directed with great sensitivity by Gianni Franciolini. The Magnani sketch may be a one-woman show, but director Luchino Visconti still contrives to show lots of pretty young men posing about in uniform. Good to know some things never change.