5 Branded Women (1960)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers (WGA):

Ugo Pirro (novel) and
Ivo Perilli (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 March 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

All The Savage Ravishing Passions of War!

Plot:

Yugoslav partisans grimly crop the hair of a village quintet of women believed to have consorted with the occupational Nazis...

Plot Keywords:

Shaved Head | Beautiful Woman | Based On Novel | Number In Title

Cast

Silvana Mangano	...	Jovanka
Jeanne Moreau	...	Ljuba
Vera Miles	...	Daniza
Barbara Bel Geddes	...	Marja
Carla Gravina	...	Mira
Van Heflin	...	Velko
Richard Basehart	...	Capt. Reinhardt
Harry Guardino	...	Branco
Alex Nicol	...	Svenko
Steve Forrest	...	Sgt. Keller
Gérard Herter	...	Col. von Elm
Romolo Valli	...	Mirko
Sidney Clute	...	Milan
Teresa Pellati	...	Boja
Pietro Germi	...	Partisan commander

Also Known As:

Five Branded Women (USA) (alternative spelling)
Jovanka e le altre (Italy)

Runtime:

115 min | Argentina:118 min

Country:

USA | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria

Company:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica

Trivia:

Vera Miles had her head shaved for her role in this film, which resulted in having to wear a wig for her role in Psycho (1960). (In fact, except for Barbara Bel Geddes, who wore a wig, all of the actresses playing the title characters had their heads shaved.)

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Prisoner: (#1.4)" (1979)

High-Level Exploitation Film

I saw this film on television when I was about 11 or 12 and it made a deep impression on me. While I had little understanding of war and certainly no personal experience of it, it pointed out the danger of isolation in the midst of endless violence and the horror of rejection for what would in peacetime have been regarded as a youthful transgression.

The casting of Vera Miles and Barbara Bel Geddes among the European actresses was a clear ploy to make this film resonate with American audiences whom during this period were more accustomed to light, frivolous films. Films of a more serious and thoughtful nature were mostly coming from Europe. At the dawn of the 60s this was a shocking exploitation film, preying on women's feelings of vanity, Americans' collective puritanism about sex, and our waning jingoism. It would be interesting to see how audiences would react to it now.