Tre donne - La sciantosa (1971) Online

La Sciantosa is part of a project created by writer/director Alfredo Gianetti for the Italian TV. The objective was to portrait a hundred years of Italian history through three movies, all of them with Anna Magnani. The other two are "1943: un incontro" and "L'autmobile".

In this first movie, La Magnani is Flora Torres, a "sciantosa" (kind of a small stage diva) who is forgotten during the WWI, living only to remember her past glory. One day she receives a letter to present herself to the high command. There, Flora is called to go to the front and entertain the troops.

Along with her maid Cristina, Flora goes to the front. There they are welcomed by the young private Tonino (Massimo Ranieri). Flora starts to act like a prima donna, making absurd demands to everyone. But when she is about to present herself, the vision of the wounded soldiers makes her change her way.

I must admit that, although I love the movie until it's climax, I didn't like the very last scene. But this is a case where the journey is better than the destine. Especially if the journey is beside la Magnani.

"La sciantosa" (The Chanteuse) was the first of four films made for Italian television by director Alfredo Giannetti that brought Anna Magnani renewed attention by the Italian public. In it she plays Flora Bertuccelli, a has-been singer on the café-chantant circuit, who is offered a chance to sing for the Italian troops at the front in World War I. By now she has become a crabby, irritable, half-embittered person and takes on this task primarily in the attempt to renew her failing career. She makes the friendship of Tonino, a soldier and band-musician.

Something unexpected happens to her when she sings the Neapolitan song "O surdato 'namurato" in front of a wildly appreciative audience of injured soldiers. She is deeply moved, almost breaks down. She realizes the joy she can bring to these men at the front.

The epiphany transforms her, so much so that in the end she saves the life of Tonino by acting as a shield for his body when an enemy airplane strafes the vehicle she is being chauffeured in by the soldier.

Magnani couldn't be better in this film. It is, I suppose, a vehicle made for her, but what a vehicle! Her presence has an earth-mother vitality (a cliché frequently applied to Magnani in general.) And the image of her with the Italian flag draped about her is one of the most memorable from all her films. Anna Magnani IS Italy!

The late Anna Magnani shines as faded singer Flora, who is asked to perform at a military base in Italy during World War I. Massimo Ranieri also excels as Tonino, a young Italian soldier who's also the band leader of the misfit group of musicians. There are several funny points in this movie, such as Flora having a series of midlife crises. First, when she realizes that she's singing in the military hospital, and not on the front line. Second, Tonino's annoying band mates trying to play for her, including a very loud horn player. She almost refuses to go on stage, but Tonino convinces her to sing anyways. Then, when the curtain goes up, she's draped in the Italian flag and wearing a crown. But when she realizes the severity of some soldiers' injuries, she gets instant stage fright. So she takes off the crown and flag and beautifully sings "O Surdato Namurato", to which she cries towards the end and the injured soldiers applaud her efforts. Then we get to probably the most dramatic part of all. She becomes a heroine and sacrifices herself to save Tonino while he's driving her back to the airport. An enemy airplane dive bombs bullets over the car, and Flora uses her body to shield Tonino. This was probably Anna Magnani's last film, since she would die about 3 years later. This was Massimo Ranieri's second film in 1970. Overall, this is a true masterpiece of a great Italian film. It's a shame it's not available on DVD.