Long before the scale of The Leopard and the sweep of Death In Venice, Luchino Visconti helped kickstart the Italian neorealism movement. Bellissima, making its DVD debut, acts as a stylistic bridge between the grit and grandeur, tracking a desperate mother as she pushes to land her six-year-old daughter a contract at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. A half-hour doc and a 32-page booklet tell how Visconti set out to blend the rich fantasy of making movies with the dirt poor reality of the Rome suburbs, with co-star Gastone Renzelli plucked from shifts at a slaughterhouse. It’s Italian superstar Anna Magnani, however, who provides the real meat, miraculously transforming into an “ordinary woman” to play the tenacious mum/abused wife. Watched today, Bellissima’s themes of celebrity, money and the need for escapist fantasy are especially pertinent, though the INCESSANT SHOUTING and sentimental climax test the patience.
DVD Extras:
A Proposito Di Bellissima, Video interview with Francesco Rosi, Original theatrical trailer, 32-page illustrated booklet.
