Daily Archives: November 15, 2016

… And the Wild, Wild Women (Nella città l’inferno)
Directed by Renato Castellani
Written by Suso Cecchi d’Amico from a novel by Isa Mari
1959/Italy/France
Riama Film/Rizzoli Film/Francinex
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] “Be thine own palace, or the world’s thy jail.” ― John Donne, The Poems of John Donne[/box]

Dubbing does not do this movie any favors.

The film is set in a contemporary women’s prison in Rome.  Egle (Anna Magnani) is a bold, brassy career convict.  She takes timid newcomer Lina (Giulietta Masina) under her wing. Lina has been brought low by a bastard whom she still loves.  Most of the film is an episodic slice of life.  Another plot line involves an inmate who falls in love with a man she glimpses on the street.

It turns out there are a number of Italian films of this era on Amazon Instant in versions that have been dubbed into English.  I always find dubbing to be a major distraction.  I think that Magnani may have dubbed her own voice.  One can sense that this is a great, flamboyant performance.  (She received many awards at film festivals).  The rest of the actresses, including Masina, were pretty clearly dubbed by voice actresses.  Someday, I’d like to see the original version.

American Trailer

Shake Hands with the Devil
Directed by Michael Anderson
Written by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts; adapted by Marian Spitzer from a novel by Rearden Conner
1959/Ireland/USA
Pennebaker Productions/Troy Films
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] “The Irish people will only be free, when they own everything from the plough to the stars” – James Connolly[/box]

James Cagney was born to play a ruthless Irish nationalist.

It is 1921, Dublin as the Irish Republican Army battles the Black and Tans.  Kerry O’Shea (Don Murray) is an Irish-American medical student who studies under surgeon Dr. Sean Lenihan (Cagney).  He resists urging to get involved in the IRA.  When a friend is shot by the Black and Tans, he discovers Lenihan is actually as interested in killing as in saving lives.  He is a ruthless Commandant in the IRA.

The violence continues and Kerry is eventually moved to become a fighter.  As time goes on, Lenihan’s tactics begin to disgust him.  Conflict deepens when Lenihan kidnaps the beautiful daughter of an English politician (Dana Wynter) and holds her hostage for the release of an aristocratic IRA sympathizer.  With Michael Redgrave as the IRA “General”, Glynnis Johns as a sympathizer bar maid, and Richard Harris as a thug.

Cagney is great but I thought the movie was just OK.  Despite the great cast, it never really caught fire for me.

Trailer