In “Bitter Rice” (“Riso Amaro”), a landmark film of the Italian neorealist movement, the gorgeously looking Silvana Mangano portrays a woman named Silvana, working in the Po Valley rice fields.
| Riso amaro | |
|---|---|
Original theatrical poster
|
|
In the course of the tale, she is courted and torn by two men: the respectable Marco (Raf Vallone) and the no-good but alluring fugitive Walter (Vittorio Gassman). Silvana chooses Walter, which brings disaster not only to her but to her co-workers.
Oscar Nominations: 1
Motion Picture Story: Giuseppe De Santis (who directed) and Carlo Lizzani
Oscar Awards: None
Oscar Context:
A surprise nomination in the writing category for the new-realist film that ironically gained notoriety not for its depiction of work in the rice fields but due to Silvana Mangano’s sex appeal.
“Panic in the Street,” co-written by Edward Anhalt and Edna Anhalt won the Motion Picture Story Oscar
Cast
Vittorio Gassman as Walter
Doris Dowling as Francesca
Silvana Mangano as Silvana
Raf Vallone as Marco
Checco Rissone as Aristide
Nico Pepe as Beppe
Credits
Running time: 108 Minutes.
Directed By: Giuseppe De Santis,
Released on September 21, 1949.
