Trivia

Arroz amargo (1949) was a product of the Italian neorealism style. The Italian title of the film is based on a pun; since the Italian word riso can mean either "rice" or "laughter," riso amaro can be taken to mean either "bitter laughter" or "bitter rice."

Lucia Bosè was the director's first choice for the role of Silvana. It wasn't until he met Silvana Mangano by chance that he decided to cast her in the film. De Santis also wanted Mangano to appear in his next picture Non c'è pace tra gli ulivi (1950) but after she became pregnant, she was replaced by Bosé.

Although Arroz amargo (1949) did not win any awards, it was nominated for the 1950 Academy Award for Best Story and entered into the 1949 Cannes Film Festival. In 2008, the film was included on the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage's 100 Italian films to be saved, a list of 100 films that "have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978."

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #792.

Arroz amargo (1949) was shot on location in the countryside of Vercellese. The main locations are Cascina Selve in Salasco and Tenuta Veneria in Lignana. The film's sets were designed by the art director Carlo Egidi.