The Rose Tattoo (1955)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Daniel Mann

Writers:

Tennessee Williams (play)
Hal Kanter (adaptation)

Release Date:

1956 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Her blood boiled with desire...raged with jealous fury!

Plot:

An Italian-American neighborhood in Louisiana is disturbed when truck driver Rosario Delle Rose is killed by police while smuggling...

Plot Keywords:

Widow | Italian American | Louisiana | Daughter | Truck Driver

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Anna Magnani	...	Serafina Delle Rose
Burt Lancaster	...	Alvaro Mangiacavallo
Marisa Pavan	...	Rosa Delle Rose
Ben Cooper	...	Seaman Jack Hunter
Virginia Grey	...	Estelle Hohengarten
Jo Van Fleet	...	Bessie
Sandro Giglio	...	Father De Leo
Mimi Aguglia	...	Assunta
Florence Sundstrom	...	Flora

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 (w) | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Key West, Florida Keys, Florida, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Although Tennessee Williams wrote the role of Serafina in his 1951 Broadway play for Anna Magnani, her English skills were too limited and Maureen Stapleton played the role instead to great acclaim. Stapleton also would originate the role of Lady Torrance in Williams' "Orpheus Descending", a role Magnani also would play on film.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Transformers (2007)

Soundtrack:

COME LE ROSE

A Flawless Diamond Performance in a Gold-Plated Setting

Ten out of ten for Anna Magnani's tour-de-force performance in "The Rose Tattoo," but the film itself falls a notch or two below that level. From time to time, a performance comes along that is so brilliant that the work of all other actors in the same year pales in comparison. Ben Kingsley in "Gandhi" and Daniel Day Lewis in "My Left Foot" come to mind, and Anna Magnani as Serafina Delle Rose in "The Rose Tattoo" can be added to that short list. The actress seems to physically transform herself before your eyes from a depressed, self-pitying widow, who has been swallowed by grief over the death of the husband that she worshiped, into a flirtatious, earthy woman, who cannot resist the attention and physical attraction of Alvaro, a truck driver, who is played by Burt Lancaster. Unfortunately, Lancaster, who often overacted when there was not a strong director to control him, lets loose at times in a nearly buffoonish performance as the suitor. Fortunately, nearly half the movie passes before he arrives on screen. Since Lancaster is capable of subtle restrained work such as that in "Atlantic City" and "Field of Dreams," one can only fault director Daniel Mann for not reining in the actor's over-the-top gestures and shameless mugging.

The original Tennessee Williams play has been effectively opened up and only occasionally betrays its stage origins. James Wong Howe's black-and-white cinematography beautifully captures the atmospheric art direction, and two of the film's three Academy Awards deservedly went to the cinematographer and art director. The third, of course, was presented to Anna Magnani. The film has some dry stretches, Marisa Pavan is obviously much older than the 15 that she portrays, and Lancaster is definitely miscast, which was possibly a studio decision for marquee value. However, despite its flaws, "The Rose Tattoo" remains a worthy film for its Tennessee Williams lines and the brilliance of Magnani's performance. Unfortunately, the great Italian actress made far too few films and died much too young, so film lovers should relish this diamond-caliber performance, even if its setting is only gold-plated. .