My 2 Second Shelf Life

I finally found it...

The other night, The Mister and me were out and about, and we stopped by a video store that had an extensive classics section. Whenever we're in a shop like that, I look for two movies: The Rose Tattoo and Madame X.
This time I was lucky enough to find The Rose Tattoo.
The first clip is one in which Serafina (Anna Magnani) is commissioned by Estelle (Virginia Grey)to sew a rose coloured silk shirt for the man that she loves. Serafina at this point has no idea that that man is her own husband.

Tennessee Williams is one of my favourite writers of drama. He was racy and complex, and sad, and sordid.
I watched The Rose Tattoo when I was 15 on the late late night movie, and I never forgot it. I always wanted to see it again, and never had the opportunity...until I found it in the classics section.

The second clip is one in which Serafina (Anna Magnani) whose husband dies in a truck accident, under shady circumstances is tortured by the rumour that her husband was unfaithful to her.
She storms the club in which the other woman works to confront her.

In this clip, according to IMDB, there are a few familiar faces amongst the extras.
As Serafina storms by the men on bar stools, Tennessee Williams himself can be seen sitting at the bar in a striped shirt. The man beside him is producer Hal Wallis. The shorter man in the white shirt standing directly behind Estelle (actress Virginia Grey) helping to restrain her is Frank Merlo - William's long-time companion and lover.

Anna Magnani's English was sparse and she really brushed up during the filming. She's fabulous in this film and won the Best Actress Acadamy Award for her performance as Serafina Delle Rosa.

I love this movie.
It's one of those movies that reminds me why I love the raw and seedy like B-Movies of the '40's and 50's so much.