La rose tatouée

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. .

Time has not been kind to The Rose Tattoo, a 1955 release that garnered three Oscars, plus additional nominations. Originally written by Tennessee Williams as a play, the film's shortcomings now cancel out much that audiences might have found entertaining about it 47 years ago. The deficits include bad acting all around (with the exception of the star, Anna Magnani) and an uneven script by Williams (who among other things was apparently clueless about how an adolescent boy and girl, attracted to each other, might talk or behave).

Playing the role of the dim-witted but sexy truck driver who courts a grieving widow (Magnani), Burt Lancaster gives a highly exaggerated "comedy performance" that is occasionally embarrassing to watch. A great natural actor in his other films and noted for his controlled physicallity, Lancaster here gawks, bends, waves his arms, makes faces, cries (clownishly), and is generally ape-like, all the while failing to get inside the character he's portraying. (Leading American actors have always had a problem convincingly playing people less intelligent than themselves; see Lon Chaney, Jr. in Of Mice and Men or, more recently, Jack Nicholson in Prizzi's Honor for more examples of this.)

Under the direction of Daniel Mann (who also directed the play), and intended as a comedy-drama, almost everything in Rose Tattoo is either loud or overblown (though it may have been Williams' wish that it be played this way in a misguided attempt to heighten the humorous dimension of the story). The host of supporting characters are all portrayed as one-dimensional grotesques or harpies who telegraph their every thought or emotion by arm-waving, facial contortions, or semiphoring the kind of villainousness that went out in the early '30s. Nor does Mann seem to have fine control over the physical goings-on by cast members. In some scenes small groups of people rush back and forth like obedient cattle, too obviously responding to off-camera direction; and at the high school prom a male extra noticeably freezes for a second or two as he waits for Marisa Pavan and her sailor dance partner to leave the floor ahead of him.

Magnani, for whom the play was written (though she just appeared in the film, after she had mastered the rudiments of the English language), comes across as the only real human being among a slew of posturing marionettes. Her portrayal of a terribly put-upon Sicilian widow fighting off the knowledge of her dead husband's infidelity and desperately trying to maintain her dignity in the face of snide remarks and out-and-out insults is awe-inspiring. I doubt that her performance has ever been matched by any American actress before or after. (Only Vivien Leigh, a Brit, comes to mind as a mentally disintegrating Blanche du Bois in the film version of Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire.) Williams, who was famously homosexual, understood and probably identified with vulnerable women. (Years before, his own sister, when a young woman, had been seriously mentally ill, "put away," and had undergone a lobotomy. It was no coincidence that her name was Rose.)

I recommend this film solely to witness Magnani's performance, which was an utterly beautiful piece of acting, indeed. Although I did not feel pulled into the plot very much, I did sympathize with Magnani's character because she played her part with such heart. I must admit that I was disappointed by Lancaster's overacting, and the minor actors also were not at all impressive. Also, I do not feel inspired to read the play itself because I don't think that reading it could compare to watching Magnani's riveting performance through which Magnani's soul itself seems to bleed.

Although I cannot think of another film with such an engaging actress, the beginning tone and ambiance of this film reminded me of other Tennessee Williams works. The atmosphere is open, naked, and almost frightening; Williams's plays always introduce characters that are very human--weak, lonely, unsettled--and deeply passionate. He doesn't take care to hide the frightening and desperate side of people even though we may not want to see that. He makes no exception in this piece, and this sense of humanity is most effectively portrayed through Magnani.

The Rose Tattoo is a solid film with terrific performances by 3 Oscar winners: Anna Magnani, Burt Lancaster, and Jo Van Fleet. Magnani landed the film version after Maureen Stapleton had originated the part on Broadway, and she is terrific as the smouldering Italian woman whose husband is killed when he is caught smuggling. The Tennessee Williams play touches on the usual ingredients of sexual repression and denial and hypocrisy. After years of mourning the dead husband (the Baron), Magnani finally gives in to sexual urges (with Lancaster) only after the swarm of village women (a pack of Italian harpy hags that acts as a Greek Chorus) convince her that the husband had been unfaithful. The subplot involves the purity of the daughter who is dating an equally pure sailor (Marisa Pavan and Ben Cooper). The subplot is boring. Lancaster is good as the simpleton truck driver who serves as the double for the dead husband, right down to the rose tattoo on his chest. Another rose tattoo shows up on the chest of the husband's floozie girl friend (nicely played by Virginia Grey), which serves as the "proof" Magnani needs to finally believe her husband's cheating. Lots of symbolism and circular plots, but the bottom line is the excellence of the acting. Magnani won a well-deserved Oscar for this film. Her scenes with Lancaster are electric. And Van Fleet is super as the shrieking customer (Magnani is a seamstress); it's no coincidence that Van Fleet won the supporting actress Oscar that year for East of Eden, since her performance in The Rose Tattoo is a world apart from that film. And yes Tennessee Williams can be glimpsed as a barfly at the Mardi Gras Club.

Remarkable and intelligent weeper account about a widow , her daughter and their suitors , being well directed and wonderfully performed . An Italian-American neighborhood in Louisiana is disturbed when trucker Rosario Delle Rose is killed when pursued by police his truck is crashed out . His mature widow miscarries , then over a period of long time draws more and more into herself , attempting to force her lovely teenaged daughter Rosa Delle Rose (Marisa Pavan, Pier Angeli's sister) to do likewise . On one eventful day , Rose finally breaks away along with his fiancé , handsome Seaman Jack Hunter (Ben Cooper) ; things go wrong when Serafina learns of deceased husband's affair with another woman (Virginia Grey) . Along the way , there appears a sympathetic seducer , the italian truck driver Alvaro Mangiacavallo (Burt Lancaster) . While romancing the widow , Alvaro learns the principal problem results in convincing her that their relationship will make all their lives better . While the other young couple have an unexpectedly tender romance , as the boyfriend attempts to persuade her that all will be better if they marry . Her blood boiled with desire...raged with jealous fury!.Seething with realism and frankness!. The boldest story of love you have ever been permitted to see!.

This is a plain and simple film with plenty of interesting drama , soap opera , emotion and two enjoyable romances . Filmmaker Daniel Mann has got a considerable success in delineating their troublesome roles in this fabricated soaper . Various character-studios furnish the basis for this agreeable drama and it results to be a superb piece of acting . It is a mostly staged drama in which the two main actors spend the majority of the movie attempting to persuade themselves . Nice screenplay by Hal Kanter and Tennessee Williams based on his own play dealing with sensitive themes such as the disintegration of a family , an enticing love story , rebellious adolescent and including engaging dialogs . Excellent interpretation by protagonist duo , Anna Magnani as Serafina Delle Rose playing magnificently the mature but attractive truck driver's widow , though she was 46 years old during filming and she previously achieved a big hit : Rome , city open . The picture also established Magnani's claim as a player of a great worth and paved the way for her Academy Award-winning success . While Burt Lancaster plays the new carefree, good-looking Italian truck driver who enters her life , as wooing a widow that leads to unexpected consequences and while delivering an awesome performance , though overacting , at times . This is a Daniel Mann film shot in his peculiar style , in fact he established himself as a first-rate actors' director while on Broadway. Under his direction Sidney Blackmer and Shirley Booth won Tony Awards for "Come Back, Little Sheba", which also became Mann's film directorial debut in 1952 with Burt Lancaster in support of Booth on the screen. Mann would direct her again in the less successful Hot Spell (1958) at the end of the decade. Booth won an Oscar for her work, as did Anna Magnani Rose Tatto (1955), which Mann also directed on Broadway with Maureen Stapleton in the part of the lonely Italian-American widow Serafina Delle Rose, which Tennessee Williams originally wrote with Magnani in mind . Anna Magnani beat out 'Susann Hayward in I'll cry tomorrow (1955) for the Oscar, another performance directed by Mann. The top-drawer main cast Anna Magnani and Burt lancaster are well supported by a very good support cast as Marisa Pavan , Ben Cooper , Virginia Grey and veteran Jo Van Fleet.

It displays a brilliant cinematography in black and white by James Wong Howe. As welll as an evocative musical score by Alex North. The motion picture was well directed by Daniel Mann . Mann was one of the top movie directors of the 1950s, helming a lot of successes as I'll cry tomorrow (1955), The teahouse of the moon of august (1956), The Last Angry Man (1959) and Butterfield 8 (1960), which brought Elizabeth Taylor her first Oscar. However, his film career began to decline in the 1960s. In the first half of the decade he still was given A-list pictures with top female stars like Anna Magnani, Rosalind Russell and Sophia Loren, but he also directed Dean Martin comedies and the spy movie spoof Flint (1966). His reputation waned and he played out his string in the 1970s and 1980s, directing TV movies and an embarrassingly bad feature about a boxing kangaroo, Super Rocky (1978) and another failed film, a Western titled Revengers , it was a real flop , because Mann being Drama expert , no Westerns . Rating : 7.5/10 . Above average.