Harrison's Reports (1955)

178 HARRISON'S REPORTS November 5, 1955 "The Rose Tattoo" with Anna Magnani, Burt Lancaster and Marisa Pavan (Paramount, no rel. date set; time, 117 win.) In spite of the fact that the story is not appealing and that little sympathy is felt for any of the charac' ters, "The Rose Tattoo," which is based on Tennessee William's earthy play of the same name, is a fascinating adult comedy-drama, the kind that undoubtedly will create considerable talk among those who will see it, with the result that others will be drawn to the box-office. What is outstanding about the picture, aside from the fact that its subject matter makes for unusual and daring screen fare, is the magnificent performance of Anna Magnani, the famous Italian actress, who speaks in English throughout the proceedings. As a tempestuous, sex-conscious widow in a seedy Sicilian-American community on the Gulf Coast, who worships the memory of her husband until she learns of his infidelity, the buxom Miss Magnani appears throughout most of the picture as an unkempt and slovenly woman, with emotions that range from the brooding to the boisterous. It is a most realistic characterization, one that is both tragic and comical, and it is sure to win for this accomplished actress serious consideration when the Academy Awards are handed out. An interesting, if not convincing, serio-comic characterization is turned in by Burt Lancaster as a crude and moronic truck driver who wins Miss Magnanfs heart after a stormy romance. Several of their scenes together are riotously funny. Deserving of special mention is the sensitive performance delivered by Marisa Pavan, as Miss Magnanfs 'teen-aged daughter, who is embarrassed by her mother's disheveled appearance and by her bluntness in forcing her sweetheart, a young sailor, to vow before a shrine that he will respect her young innocence. The story throughout is extraordinarily frank in situations and dialogue. The direction is expert, and the photography first-rate : — Anna, an amorous Sicilian-born dressmaker, idolizes her brawny husband, a banana truck driver, and becomes hysterically distraught when he is killed by Federal agents while transporting contraband liquor. In her epic grief, she loses her unborn baby and, in violation of the church, cremates her husband's body and keeps his ashes in the house. Worshipping his memory, she becomes a recluse and for several years dresses in nothing but a dirty, ill-fitting slip, much to the disgust of Marisa, her daughter, who had fallen in love with Ben Cooper, a young sailor. One day Anna quarrels with two of her customers, ladies of easy virtue, who reveal that her late husband had been the lover of Virginia Grey, a local blonde blackjack dealer. This news shocks Anna, and she tries without success to learn from her priest whether the husband ever had confessed his infidelities. She collapses in an hysterical outburst when the priest refuses to tell her anything and is taken home by Lancaster, a sincere but brawny simpleton, who makes romantic advances and even has a rose tattoed on his chest, identical to her husband's, to overpower her sensibilities. Before getting involved with Lancaster, Anna decides to visit Virginia, who tells her the bitter truth about her husband's unfaithfulness. Returning home, she smashes the urn containing his ashes and accepts Lancaster's advances, only to have him pass out from too much drink. Regaining consciousness during the night but still in a stupor, Lancaster whispers words of love to Marisa in the mistaken belief that she is Anna. This leads to a violent misunderstanding that is eventually straightened out when Marisa assures her mother that Lancaster had not touched her. It all ends with Anna giving her blessing to the marriage of Marisa and Cooper, and with her accepting Lancaster into her heart and home. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis, and directed by Daniel Mann, from a screenplay by Tennessee Williams. Strictly adult fare. "Guys and Dolls" with Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine (MGM, T^ovember; time, 150 min.) Photographed in CinemaScope and Eastman color, this lavish Samuel Goldwyn film version of the highly successful Broadway musical of the same name will undoubtedly prove to be a top box-office attraction, for, in addition to the fame of its producer and the popularity of its stars, MGM has given and is giving the picture one of the most intensive and effective selling campaigns ever accorded to any movie. Picturegoers have been made eager to see it, and they will not be disappointed, for it emerges as a highly entertaining, if not great, musical, one that will leave them thoroughly satisfied, despite its excessive length, which could be trimmed to advantage. Based on a short story by Damon Runyon, the screenplay offers a consistently amusing account of two romances, one between Jean Simmons, as a Salvation Army girl, and Marlon Brando, as a high-stakes gambler, and the other between Frank Sinatra, as the operator of a "permanent" floating crap game, and Vivian Blaine, as a night club star, with whom he had been postponing matrimony for more than fourteen years. Like all Runyon stories, this one is replete with colorful Broadway characters, such as gamblers, bookies, touts, fight managers, promoters and chorus girls, all of whom are somehow involved in the proceedings to generally humorous effect. The picture's highlights, of course, are the musical numbers. The dozen or more songs themselves are not of the sort that remain in one's memory, but all are pleasant to listen to and in some instances are put over in comical fashion. The "Pet Me Poppa" and "Take Back Your Mink" numbers, which feature Miss Blaine and a bevy of beautiful Goldwyn girls, are outstanding, as is Miss Blaine's solo rendition of "Adelaide's Lament." The surprise of the show, however, is Jean Simmons, who not only has a pleasant singing voice but also a fine sense of timing for comedy. This is proved during her visit with Brando to Havana, where he had taken her to win a bet from Sinatra, and where she becomes tipsy in a cafe and involves herself in a wild version of the mambo and in a free-for-all fight. This sequence is hilarious. Brando, too, sings and dances and, though neither his footwork nor his vocalizing are of prize-winning caliber, he is competent enough in what he is called upon to do. Sinatra puts over his song numbers in his usual good style, and his interpretation of the floating crap game operator, a typical Runyonesque character, is adequate. Robert Keith, as a detective who tries to track down the crap game; Regis Toomey, as a Salvation Army worker; and B.S. Pully, Sheldon Leonard,