Bitter Rice
1949 · Movie · 109 min · ★ 7.5 · 95% critics
Two low-level criminals in Northern Italy try to evade the police by blending into a group of women rice workers. As they form new connections in the fields, a tangled story of theft, romance, and murder unfolds.
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Streaming on The Criterion Channel — or rent from $2.99.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- Riso amaro
- Years
- 1949
- Release date
- 1949-09-30
- Language
- Italian
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Critic score
- 95/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.5/10 (227 votes)
About
If you enjoy classic Italian crime and passion with danger close by, Bitter Rice can hit the right note; Not for you if you want a light, straightforward story like Obsession or The Swindle.
Pros: tense crime plot; strong romantic sparks; vivid rural setting | Cons: grim subject matter; complex entanglements
Themes
- suicide
- thief
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Story · 1951 · nominated
Cast & crew
Doris Dowling
as Francesca
Silvana Mangano
as Silvana
Vittorio Gassman
as Walter
Raf Vallone
as Marco
Checco Rissone
as Aristide
Nico Pepe
as Beppe
- AS
Adriana Sivieri
as Celeste
- LC
Lia Corelli
as Amelia
Maria Grazia Francia
as Gabriella
- DR
Dedi Ristori
as Anna
Directed by Giuseppe De Santis