Bitter Rice
Also known as Riso amaro
1949 film by Giuseppe De Santis
Film · TMDB
7.5Francesca and Walter are two-bit criminals in Northern Italy, and, in an effort to avoid the police, Francesca joins a group of women rice workers. She meets the voluptuous peasant rice worker, Silvana, and the soon-to-be-discharged soldier, Marco. Walter follows her to the rice fields, and the four characters become involved in a complex plot involving robbery, love, and murder.
Released: 1949-09-30109 minDir: Giuseppe De SantisDrama, Crime
▶ Watch trailerStream on: Criterion Channel
Cast
- Doris Dowling as Francesca
- Silvana Mangano as Silvana
- Vittorio Gassman as Walter
- Raf Vallone as Marco
- Checco Rissone as Aristide
- Nico Pepe as Beppe
Themes
~8 min read
Article
Bitter Rice (Italian: Riso amaro [ˈriːso aˈmaːro, ˈriːzo -]) is a 1949 Italian neorealist crime drama film directed and co-written by Giuseppe De Santis, produced by Dino De Laurentiis, and starring Vittorio Gassman, Doris Dowling, Silvana Mangano, and Raf Vallone. The story follows a pair of fugitives, who hide among the rice fields of northern Italy. The Italian title of the film is based on a pun; since the Italian word riso can mean either "rice" or "laughter", riso amaro can be taken to mean either "bitter laughter" or "bitter rice".
Released by Lux Film, Bitter Rice was a commercial success in Europe and the United States. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1949 Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for the 1950 Academy Award for Best Story.