ANNA (1951) - ♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Alberto Lattuada

Written by - Giuseppe Berto, Franco Brusati, Ivo Perilli, Dino Risi, Rodolfo Sonego

Starring - Silvana Mangano, Raf Vallone, Vittorio Gassman

"Anna by Alberto Lattuada represent the soap operatic type of melodrama that was popular in the Italian cinema of the fifties. It is the story of a night club singer that decides to trade her life of sin and lust for the life of a nun. 

There are certainly elements that haven't aged well, but at the same time, there is also a lot to admire in this film. For starters, the racy subject has nothing on its American counterparts, despite the visual style being clearly influenced by the cinematography of Hollywood film noir. Some lengthy dialogues fall flat, and yet the mature juxtaposition of night clubs and religion is pretty audacious and to some extent admirably controversial. 

As an added treat, there's an excellent musical night clup sequence where the stunning Silvana Mangano dances an Afro beats inspired tune that has been referenced in other films for its sheer beauty."

Drama, Italy/France