Nella città l'inferno

This film pairs two of Italy's greatest character actresses, Julietta Masina and Anna Magnani. Masina is the naive 26 year old who is one of several "new comers" to women's prison. The new arrivals cry their hearts out to the women already doing their time. Magnani plays the hardened "regular", who keeps coming back.

The film takes a closer look at several of these women. Somehow all of their "crimes" are directly related to the dire poverty from which they are desperate to escape. Whether selling merchandise without paying the proper taxes, or sending an infant on a river ride in a basket (which sinks and drowns the child), none of these women committed crimes out of greed or malice. The Masina character is eventually exonerated and leaves before serving out her full sentence.

The ending (which I will not spoil) drives home the "message". Women in prison may act rough and tough, but they were all innocent once. Those who break the cycle and escape the life of small-time delinquency, are few. Their triumph over adversity is the hope for everyone else. One character, who has found her hope in a new love, said it best. "Now I know, that when I get out of here, I will never come back". To cling to this hope for a better tomorrow was on the minds of many people during 1950s Italy. Always look for a brighter tomorrow!

It is fitting that a film set in a womans prison should be based upon a novel by a woman, Isa Mari. Not only that but it has been adapted by a woman who just happens to be one of the greatest and most respected screenwriters in the history of film namely Suso Cecchi D'Amico, whose credits are phenomenal. Feminists might lament the absence of a female director but then one cannot have everything! The earlier films of Renato Castellani were considered 'worthy' by critics but by the time he made this they had changed their tune. It is without doubt a powerful and compelling film with uniformly strong performances. The two leads are Anna Magnani and Giulietta Masina whose characters and performances represent both sides of the coin. The psychological changes that they both undergo during the course of the film are wonderfully depicted. This was a miraculous decade for Masina and Magnani had already taken America by storm in 'Rose Tattoo' and 'The Wild Side'. To call Magnani a force of Nature would be something of an understatement. Her performance here as Egle, the seasoned inmate, is electrifying and is a perfect contrast to the naivety of Masina's Lina. Mention must also be made of Cristina Gaioni as Marietta. The scene where she receives a letter from an unknown admirer outside the prison is unbearably touching. Alberto Sordi has a small, uncredited role as a low-life. Even by his standards this was a busy year for him with no less than ten films released notably 'The Great War' and the 'The Widower'. Previous reviewers have quite rightly expressed frustration at the lack of a sub-titled version. It is indeed a lamentable oversight but for those who appreciate great acting it is still worth giving this excellent film a go.

This film received only a minor release in the United States in a shortened and dubbed version and was shown intact only at some touring museum series many years later. That is a shame considering the stature of the two leading performers, Anna Magnani and Giulietta Masina, both of them great ladies of the Italian cinema. Their performances are riveting. NELLA CITTA' L'INFERNO is about an innocent housewife (Masina) who is falsely convicted of theft and is sent to a women's prison in Rome. There she is tutored in the ways of crime by her expert cell-mate (Magnani) and must live amid a company of prostitutes, murderers, and thieves. Their effect on her is not a positive one. Renato Castellani directed this lively piece, and Roman comedian-actor Alberto Sordi has a small role in it.

After those two extraordinary roles, Gelsomina in "La Strada"(1954) and Cabiria in "The Nights of Cabiria"(1957), Masina becomes Lina, a young and very naive provincial girl (almost like her in real life, being born North of Bologna, in San Giorgio di Piano). This Lina, similar to Cabiria, being in love with a crook, gets to jail. There she will meet the very experienced Egle (Magnani). Magnani is truly unique in the history of the cinema. So is Masina. All the other actresses are natural and worthy of attention. But the two M's are really explosive. In the short role of the crook, an almost unrecognizable Alberto Sordi, the giant of the cinematic comedy world.

Giulietta Masina turns upside down her usual waif and Anna Magnani is simply fantastic in this, entertaining, bitter, masterful "dramedy". If the Roxie Hart story could become a musical (Chicago) "Nella città l'inferno" should become an opera. The simple, vulnerable Masina, unjustly accused and convicted, falls under the wing of seasoned inmate Magnani. The scenes between this two actresses - with Magnani dominating, gloriously - are so beautifully drawn that it should be a must for film scholars. Unfortunately not available even on Italian home video.

Keep an eye for retrospectives of Masina or Magnani or if in Italy on TV very, very late at night.

Update! March 2007 It's out in DVD but without English subtitles! Incredible but true.