Anna Magnani : Egle

Giulietta Masina : Lina

Myriam Bru : Vittorina

Cristina Gaioni : Marietta Mugnari

Renato Salvatori : Piero, le mécanicien

Alberto Sordi : « Antonio l'Adonis » Zampi

 

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.

 

 

I've been waiting for ages to have a DVD of this film to show everybody in England and the US but, guess what? It doesn't have English subtitles, in fact, no subtitles at all*. How can it possibly be? Who's the myopic creature behind this move? Only Italian speaking audiences will be able to enjoy it, missing the golden opportunity to make the film known around the world.

The film in itself is a gem and contains one of Anna Magnani greatest performances and that's saying something. She's funny, brutal, a force of nature. The film, by the great Renato Castellani maintains an energy that it's simply contagious. Maybe somebody behind this release wakes up and does something about it to make it accessible to an international audience.

 

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