Was Tennessee Williams capable of writing a screwball comedy? If "The Rose Tattoo" is any indication, the answer is...well...not really.
This very slight Williams adaptation is at least one of the funnier of his plays, but let's just say he's not the go-to guy for lighthearted hijinks. Anna Magnani is paired with Burt Lancaster, with decidedly mixed results. Magnani is very good and won an Oscar for Best Actress for this film. Lancaster, who doesn't show up until about an hour in, gives one of those grotesque performances he was prone to give if he wasn't reined in enough by his director. He mugs and grimaces, and his performance borders on the unwatchable. It's also laughable that he's playing an Italian.
The whole movie is really about Magnani not being able to get over the death of her husband and the village ladies being mean to her. There literally is nothing else going on.
In addition to Magnani's win, "The Rose Tattoo" won Oscars for Best B&W Art Direction and Best B&W Cinematography, as well as being nominated for Best Motion Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Marisa Pavan, playing Magnani's virginal daughter who wants to bonk a sailor), Best B&W Costume Design, Best Film Editing, and Best Dramatic/Comedy Score.
Grade: B.
This very slight Williams adaptation is at least one of the funnier of his plays, but let's just say he's not the go-to guy for lighthearted hijinks. Anna Magnani is paired with Burt Lancaster, with decidedly mixed results. Magnani is very good and won an Oscar for Best Actress for this film. Lancaster, who doesn't show up until about an hour in, gives one of those grotesque performances he was prone to give if he wasn't reined in enough by his director. He mugs and grimaces, and his performance borders on the unwatchable. It's also laughable that he's playing an Italian.
The whole movie is really about Magnani not being able to get over the death of her husband and the village ladies being mean to her. There literally is nothing else going on.
In addition to Magnani's win, "The Rose Tattoo" won Oscars for Best B&W Art Direction and Best B&W Cinematography, as well as being nominated for Best Motion Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Marisa Pavan, playing Magnani's virginal daughter who wants to bonk a sailor), Best B&W Costume Design, Best Film Editing, and Best Dramatic/Comedy Score.
Grade: B.