About

Bellissima will screen from an imported 35mm film print.

Anna Magnani stars as a single-minded stage mother who is determined to make her daughter a star when she discovers that a Roman film studio is searching for a child actress. Visconti winds a caustic satire adroitly around a neorealist drama, crafting an early-career masterpiece that acts as a lynchpin between his cinematic styles. The film itself is a vicious attack on empty celebrity culture and those who exploit romantics with stars in their eyes, while also painting a rich portrait of Magnani’s working class mother.