The Rose Tattoo

Director: Daniel Mann Daniel Mann

Overview

Scripted by famed playwright Tennessee Williams, The Rose Tattoo stars Anna Magnani as Serafina Delle Rose, a Sicilian woman who now lives in the American South. As the film opens, she is still mourning the death of her beloved husband, constantly telling herself stories of their time together. Her fragile emotional existence is shattered when she discovers that her husband had been carrying on with another woman. Luckily, Serafina also meets truck driver Alvaro Mangiacavallo (Burt Lancaster) around this time, and their tentative romance may help her through this troubling time. Williams wrote the script for Magnani, who was awarded an Oscar for her work in the film.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/25/2020
UPC:	0032429336637
Original Release:	1955
Rating:	NR
Source:	ALLIED VAUGHN
Language:	English
Time:	1:56:00
Sales rank:	2,860

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Anna Magnani	Serafina Delle Rose
Burt Lancaster	Alvaro Mangiacavallo
Marisa Pavan	Rosa Delle Rose
Ben Cooper	Jack Hunter
Virginia Grey	Estelle Hohengarten
Jo Van Fleet	Bessie
Sandro Giglio	Father De Leo
Mimi Aguglia	Assunta
Florence Sundstrom	Flora
Dorrit Kelton	Schoolteacher
Rossana San Marco	Peppina
Augusta Merighi	Guiseppina
Rosa Rey	Mariella
Georgia Simmons	the Strega
Zolya Talma	Miss Mangiacavallo
George Humbert	Pop Mangiacavallo
Margherita Pasquero	Grandma Mangiacavallo
May Lee	Mamma Shigura
Lewis Charles	Taxi Driver
Virgil Osborne	Taxi Driver
Larry Chance	Rosario Delle Rose
Jeanne Hart	Violetta,Violetta
Roger Gunderson	Doctor
Roland Vildo	Salvatore
Fred Taylor	Cashier
Albert Atkins	Mario
Natalie Murray	Townswoman
Don Bachardy	Actor
Alex North	Composer

Technical Credits

Tennessee Williams

Hal Kanter

Daniel Mann	Director
Tennessee Williams	Screenwriter
Hal Kanter	Screenwriter
Hal B. Wallis	Producer
Farciot Edouart	Special Effects
Gene Garvin	Sound Effects
Carl Mahakian	Sound Effects
Bill Wistrom	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

The Rose Tattoo was never top-drawer Tennessee Williams, and the screenplay has not aged gracefully. But the truth is that Tattoo has always really been little more than a showcase for its leading lady, and the performance that this film showcases has not dimmed an iota over the decades. Anna Magnani's performance is nothing short of ferocious, the kind of powerful, stunning acting that in lesser hands would be called "over the top." Magnani pulls out all of the stops, bursting forth with emotions so large that the screen shouldn't be able to contain them; yet part of her magic is that it does contain them, that the audience becomes engulfed in rather than overwhelmed by her outbursts. Crying out in pain or blazing with anger and hurt or letting out heartfelt laughter, Magnani is a human volcano, a force of nature that must be experienced. She is helped by Williams' ability to create three-dimensional female leads, which helps to overcome the stiffness and predictability of much of the plotting. As the male lead, Burt Lancaster has to contend not only with Magnani but with a role that is much less fully developed than that of Magnani's; unfortunately, he adapts by overplaying, and his performance damages the film, as does Daniel Mann's none too subtle direction. Still, the film's flaws are worth putting up with for Magnani.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler