description Bitter Rice Overview
Bitter Rice, directed by Giuseppe De Santis, portrays two fugitives seeking refuge in northern Italy’s rice fields. The film utilizes a title employing a double meaning of “riso,” referencing both rice and the bitter nature of their situation. Starring Vittorio Gassman and Silvana Mangano, it is an Italian neorealist crime drama from 1949.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
info Bitter Rice Specifications
| Country | Italy |
| Year | 1949 |
help Bitter Rice FAQ
Why is Bitter Rice called Riso amaro in Italian?
The Italian title Riso amaro plays on the word riso, which can mean rice and also laughter. The double meaning fits the film's mix of harvest labor, desire, crime, and tragedy.
Where is Bitter Rice set?
Bitter Rice is set in the rice fields of northern Italy, especially among the seasonal women workers known as mondine. The setting is central to the film's social realism and its crime melodrama.
Who stars in Bitter Rice?
The film stars Silvana Mangano, Vittorio Gassman, Doris Dowling, and Raf Vallone. Mangano's role as Silvana became one of the most famous images of postwar Italian cinema.
Is Bitter Rice part of Italian neorealism?
Yes, though it mixes neorealist labor themes with noir and melodrama. Giuseppe De Santis directed it in 1949, after working in the same postwar Italian film movement as directors like Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica.
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