The Rose Tattoo (1955)

Director:

Daniel Mann

Writers:

Tennessee Williams (screenplay)
Hal Kanter (adaptation)
(more)

Release Date:

1956 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | 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:

Truck Driver | Smuggling | Widow | Italian American | Louisiana

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 6 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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Albert Adkins	...	Mario (uncredited)
Don Bachardy	...	Passenger in Back Seat of Car (uncredited)
Larry Chance	...	Rosario Delle Rose (uncredited)
Lewis Charles	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Roger Gunderson	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Jean Hart	...	Violetta (uncredited)
George Humbert	...	Pop Mangiacavallo (uncredited)
Dorrit Kelton	...	Schoolteacher (uncredited)
May Lee	...	Mamma Shigura - Tattoo Artist (uncredited)
Augusta Merighi	...	Giuseppina (uncredited)
Natalie Murray	...	Townswoman (uncredited)
Virgil Osborne	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Margherita Pasquero	...	Grandma Mangiacavallo (uncredited)
Rosa Rey	...	Mariella (uncredited)
Rossana San Marco	...	Peppina (uncredited)
Georgia Simmons	...	The Strega (uncredited)
Zolya Talma	...	Miss Mangiacavallo (uncredited)
Fred Taylor	...	Grocery Cashier (uncredited)
Roland Vildo	...	Salvatore (uncredited)
Hal B. Wallis	...	Man at Mardi Gras Club (uncredited)
Tennessee Williams	...	Man at Mardi Gras Club (uncredited)

Directed by
Daniel Mann

Writing credits
Tennessee Williams		(screenplay)
Hal Kanter		(adaptation)
Tennessee Williams		(play "The Rose Tattoo")

Produced by
Hal B. Wallis	....	producer

Original Music by
Alex North

Cinematography by
James Wong Howe		(director of photography)

Art Direction by
Tambi Larsen
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Arthur Krams

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard McWhorter	....	assistant director

Art Department
Gene Lauritzen	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Gene Garvin	....	sound recordist
Harold Lewis	....	sound recordist
Carl Mahakian	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Bill Wistrom	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects

Editorial Department
Warren Low	....	editorial supervisor

Music Department
Alex North	....	musical director
John Paris	....	in German version
Just Scheu	....	Lyrics in the german version
Maurice De Packh	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Cheryl Crawford	....	stage producer: New York

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• AFEX (1956) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Paramount (1956) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Paramount (1956) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1973) (USA) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 (f) | USA:Approved (PCA #17395) | Norway:16 | USA:Unrated

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:

Featured in "American Masters: Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage (#9.2)" (1994)

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. .