Upon meeting Alvaro, a happy and carefree man who reminds her of her deceased husband, Serafina emerges from her reclusive life and finds solace in this man who is startlingly similar to her beloved husband. Not only doe... more »s Alvaro have the same occupation as her late husband, but he also has the same rose tattoo on his chest. Seeing these common traits between the two men as a sign, Serefina?s life takes a change for the better.« less
F. Gentile | Lake Worth, Florida, United States | 04/26/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Anna Magnani perfectly portrays Tennessee Williams "Serafina DellaRosa", the love lost heroine of his beautiful play.Her portrayal is completely touching and awe-inspiring. I recently shared this film with a very accomplished actor friend who had never seen it, and his reaction was "wow." This is one of my all-time favorite films, and I consider Magnani's performance, for which she rightfully won the Academy Award as best actress, to be one of the most beautiful ever filmed. She says more with her eyes then most actors could ever convey in a whole script.Filmed on location in old Key West, it is steeped in the sleepy, humid atmosphere of that wonderful place. Watch for the bar-fight scene, where Magnani walks in to confront her dead husbands mistress. You will spot the mustachioed Tennessee Williams at the bar. His long-time lover, Frank Merlo, to whom he dedicated the book version of this play, "To Frankie, In Return For Sicily", is also in the fight scene.You can still visit Tennessee's little house in Key West,though it is not on any tour nor open to the public, just ask the locals. You may see the little plaque "the Rose Tattoo", on the gate.If you haven't seen this film (or even if you have), sit on the floor with a glass of red wine & someone you love, and watch the beautiful Anna Magnani create magic from Tennessee Williams equally magical "love play to the world", as he called it."
The Odd Couple
Peter Kenney | Birmingham, Alabama, USA | 01/11/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"THE ROSE TATTOO is about an Italian widow (Anna Magnani) in the bayou country who grieves over the memory of her dead husband. She is courted by the village clown (Burt Lancaster) who tries to help her let go of her memories. The rose tattoo is significant because the deceased had one on his body.Magnani is superb as the grieving Serafina Delle Rose. Lancaster manages to pull off his role as Alvaro Mongiacavallo mainly because of his enormous energy. However, it is difficult for me to take his impersonation of an idiosyncratic Italian American seriously.The movie won Academy Awards in 1955 for Best Actress (Anna Magnani), Black and White Cinematography and Black and White Art Direction. Nominations were received for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Marisa Pavan), Black and White Costume Design and Editing and Scoring of a Dramatic Picture. The Oscar for Best Picture in that same year was given to MARTY.THE ROSE TATTOO was adapted for the screen from a play by Tennessee Williams who served as the screenwriter for the film. It was shot on location in old Key West."
Ok, it's a LITTLE bit stagy
nom-de-nick | United States | 01/21/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"in parts, and Lancaster's performance is a little over the top here and there, but this is still an absolute classic. Anna Magnani is nothing short of magnificent, and while Lancaster does get a hair hammy in spots, his character is so buffoonish and likeable, he ends up being almost as endearing as Serafina. The best way to enjoy it to the fullest? Stop reading about it, and just watch it. You won't be sorry."
"The lovely and sidereal Italian actress (By far the best Italian actress of the Century and one of my top ten choices ever) plays the role of a tempestuous Sicilian woman who dresses a rigorous mourning but after having met a rude truck driver your libido will reborn. One of the most eefctive works of Tennessee Williams.
She won deservedly, the Academy Award as Best Actress in 1955.
"
Painful to Watch Burt
Choice Critic | Highland, IN | 10/13/2008
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Burt Lancaster is one of my all-time favorite actors. But it is painful to watch him in this movie. His terrible accent jumps between Sicily and the Bronx. He is "Elmer Gantry" without the proper role or dialogue to match his performance or ability. He is terribly miscast and unconvincing as Alvaro to Anna Magnani's Serafina.
It is no coincidence that for a movie that won three Oscars and received an additional five nominations Lancaster received no recogniton whatsoever from the Academy. He is as convincing an Italian as Donald Trump would be if he tried to act like a modest man.
Magnani won the academy award as Best Actress for her performance in a very bad year for movies (1955). In "The Rose Tattoo" she merely bounces from one emotional outburst to the next, screaming and yelling in each scene. She brings no nuance or subtlety to the character. Marisa Pavan, who plays her daughter, does. Her character's struggle to find love while dealing with an irrational, raging mother brings out a genuine sweetness in her performance.
Magnani's performance with Marlon Brando in "The Fugitive Kind" (1959) is far superior to this one. In that movie, as the long suffering wife, she is sublime and sensual. Her character's strong emotional longings are barely concealed beneath the surface until Brando walks into her life and ignites them.
Either the writing, direction, or both in "The Rose Tatoo" prevent Magnani from exhibiting the dynamic acting ability displayed in the later movie. But Burt, it hurt to watch you in a role you never should have taken, no matter how bad the dialogue."