| Bellissima | |
|---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster  | |
| Directed by | Luchino Visconti | 
| Written by | Cesare Zavattini Suso Cecchi d'Amico Francesco Rosi Luchino Visconti  | 
| Produced by | Salvo D'Angelo | 
| Starring | Anna Magnani Walter Chiari Tina Apicella Gastone Renzelli Tecla Scarano Arturo Bragaglia Alessandro Blasetti  | 
| Cinematography | Piero Portalupi | 
| Edited by | Mario Serandrei | 
| Music by | Franco Mannino, inspired by Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore | 
Production company  | Film Bellissima  | 
| Distributed by | CEI Incom | 
Release date  | 27 December 1951 | 
Running time  | 115 minutes {release version} | 
| Country | Italy | 
| Language | Italian | 
Bellissima is a 1951 Italian comedy film directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Anna Magnani, Walter Chiari and Tecla Scarano.[1] In 2008, the film was included on the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s 100 Italian films to be saved, a list of 100 films that "have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978."[2]
Plot
Bellissima centers on a working-class mother in Rome, Maddalena, who drags her young daughter to Cinecittà Studios to attend an audition for a new film by Alessandro Blasetti. Maddalena's efforts to promote her daughter grow increasingly frenzied.
Cast
- Anna Magnani as Maddalena Cecconi
 - Walter Chiari as Alberto Annovazzi
 - Tina Apicella as Maria Cecconi
 - Gastone Renzelli as Spartaco Cecconi
 - Tecla Scarano as Tilde Spernanzoni
 - Lola Braccini as the photographer's wife
 - Arturo Bragaglia as the photographer
 - Nora Ricci as the laundry girl
 - Vittorina Benvenuti
 - Linda Sini as Mimmetta
 - Teresa Battaggi as a mother
 - Gisella Monaldi as a concierge
 - Amalia Pellegrini
 - Corrado Mantoni as radio announcer
 
Production
Alessandro Blasetti, a contemporary film director, appears as himself. Keeping in with the tradition of Italian neorealism a number of roles went to members of the public. Magnani played a part in their selection, approving of Gastone Renzelli a butcher who was cast as her husband.[3]
The film's sets were designed by Gianni Polidori. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios, which appear prominently in the film. It was not a box office success.[4]
Awards
- Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress Anna Magnani
 
References
Bibliography
- Gundle, Stephen. Fame Amid the Ruins: Italian Film Stardom in the Age of Neorealism. Berghahn Books, 2019.
 
External links
- Bellissima at IMDb
 
