I think in many ways it's hard to see and appreciate "The Rose Tattoo" today. While in 1955 it was a hit and earned Anna Magnani the Oscar for Best Actress, to me today her performance seemed incredibly broad and overdone. At the time, people marveled at her earthiness and intensity--now, many would see this as overacting. To put it very bluntly, she screamed, ranted and acted more like a cow in extreme need of a c-section instead of a real person! Subtle her performance wasn't!
As for the story, it has some interesting elements and if the director had pushed for a slower and more restrained performance, I would have enjoyed it immensely. It begins with a man getting killed while being chased by police. He was a smuggler and he left a wife (Magnani) and daughter. Since his death, the wife has gotten in a rut--feeling sorry for herself, behaving horribly towards everyone around her and trying to convince herself that her husband was a much better man than he really was. However, no matter how hard she tries to distract herself by screaming and being unpleasant, these actions can't suffice to distract her completely--she worries that what neighbors say is correct--her husband had been cheating on her. As a result, she cycles between extreme anger and extreme piety--driving her poor daughter crazy in the process.
Nothing seems to be able to get her out of this funk until one day (about half way through the film) when she meets a vivacious younger man (Burt Lancaster) who, oddly, seems taken with her! Why? I have no idea, as Magnani's character is a pig in many ways--disheveled and with the personality of a boar! And, speaking of a character who is annoying, what's with Burt Lancaster? As I said above, his character is drawn to Magnani and this makes little sense--nor does his rushing out to get a tattoo to impress her just after he meets her. At first, his character was interesting, but after a while he, too, was anything but subtle. The combination of him and Magnani is simply too much for one movie!
I have seen about every Tennessee Williams film and would have to say this is one of the weakest. The plot isn't bad but the characters are just too shrill and tough to believe. The story should have been a lot better. And, frankly, I wonder how Sicilians felt watching this, as the Magnani's character seems to portray these Italians in a less than flattering light.
As for the story, it has some interesting elements and if the director had pushed for a slower and more restrained performance, I would have enjoyed it immensely. It begins with a man getting killed while being chased by police. He was a smuggler and he left a wife (Magnani) and daughter. Since his death, the wife has gotten in a rut--feeling sorry for herself, behaving horribly towards everyone around her and trying to convince herself that her husband was a much better man than he really was. However, no matter how hard she tries to distract herself by screaming and being unpleasant, these actions can't suffice to distract her completely--she worries that what neighbors say is correct--her husband had been cheating on her. As a result, she cycles between extreme anger and extreme piety--driving her poor daughter crazy in the process.
Nothing seems to be able to get her out of this funk until one day (about half way through the film) when she meets a vivacious younger man (Burt Lancaster) who, oddly, seems taken with her! Why? I have no idea, as Magnani's character is a pig in many ways--disheveled and with the personality of a boar! And, speaking of a character who is annoying, what's with Burt Lancaster? As I said above, his character is drawn to Magnani and this makes little sense--nor does his rushing out to get a tattoo to impress her just after he meets her. At first, his character was interesting, but after a while he, too, was anything but subtle. The combination of him and Magnani is simply too much for one movie!
I have seen about every Tennessee Williams film and would have to say this is one of the weakest. The plot isn't bad but the characters are just too shrill and tough to believe. The story should have been a lot better. And, frankly, I wonder how Sicilians felt watching this, as the Magnani's character seems to portray these Italians in a less than flattering light.