Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

StrictlyConfidential To date - I believe that I have now seen every single film ever adapted to the screen from a Tennessee Williams' screenplay. And - IMO - "A Streetcar Named Desire" is the only one that has ever risen above the level of mediocrity and repulsiveness.And, speaking about an irritating story-line - Next to "Suddenly Last Summer" - I rank "The Rose Tattoo" as second in line for the worst of them all. I mean - This film was absolutely filled to overflowing with annoying characters and peasant-mentality situations.And casting Anna Magnani and Burt Lancaster as the "lovey-dovey" on-screen sweethearts was, indeed, a stroke of pure asininity of the highest order. 'Cause there was not even an ounce of passionate chemistry happening between these two duds at all.Anyway - If I ever do come across another film that has anything to do with the likes of Tennessee Williams - I will avoid it like the plague. Indeed, I will.

lasttimeisaw This is the screen adaptation of Tennessee Williams' namesake play which opened on Broadway in 1951, originally is tailor-made for Magnani, but she rejected it then due to her inadequate English expertise; four years later, she shoulders on this film version helmed by theatrical old hand Daniel Mann, which substantially lives up to everyone's expectation and is crowned as BEST LEADING ACTRESS in the Oscar competition, the film also earns two other wins for BEST ART DIRECTION and BEST BLACK & WHITE CINEMATOGRAPHY for the legendary Chinese-American cinematographer James Wong Howe out of a total 8 nominations.Magnani plays Serafina, an immigrant from Sicily to America to marry with Rosario Delle Rose, an Italian man with a baron lineage, but now is merely a truck driver hauling bananas. They have a fifteen-year-old daughter Rosa (Paven), and Magnani is pregnant with a second child, but an accident soon kills Rosario and it turns out he is engaged in transporting some illegal commodities, what's more devastating, rumour says he had an affair with another woman Estelle (Grey). Indulged in the mourning of her husband and refuses to accept the truth, Serafina has a miscarriage, strains arise between Serafina and the rest of the people in their close-knitted Italian neighbourhood, also with Rosa,who meets a sailor Jack (Cooper) in her high school graduation prom, and they hit it off immediately. Later another young truck driver Alvaro (Lancaster) barges into her life, so can Serafina finally be liberated from past memories and brave a new romance? A hint, THE ROSE TATTOO has a comedic vibrancy which rarely prevails in Tennessee Williams' works. The title refers to the rose tattoo on Rosario's chest, a symbol of carnal temptation which lingers in Serafina's memory after her husband is gone, and not until she meets Alvaro, a young body particularly resembles her dead husband, does she tentatively open up to him and their budding romance is quite a burlesque as they play off a typical forward-man- versus-reserved-woman stunt, until Alvaro bares his chest to show her a rose tattoo, an impending danger seems to be enveloping them even in the film's most farcical set piece, one constantly fears the story would steer to the opposite direction in a jiffy.Magnani commands such a towering impersonation as she brilliantly alternates between attention-grabbing melodrama and outlandish hysteria with effortless artistry, the story is so Italian, and Magnani represents the exemplary virtue of an Italian mother, hot-blooded, honest to her feelings, sensuously attractive but never demeans herself to be flirtatious, and extremely protective towards her child. Lancaster only emerges in the latter half of the film, but shines in his unusually comedic slapstick; Marisa Pavan who also receives an Oscar nomination, unfortunately pales into insignificance by Magnani as a disobedient daughter with an overfamiliar agency on her plate. James Wong Howe's low-key camera faithfully serves to introduce all the movements of the characters, hones up the fluency and consistency of the story without being obtrusive or self-aware. By and large, THE ROSE TATTOO is a potent drama galvanises with a more buoyant flare rather different from Tennessee Williams' customarily neurotic fashioning.

Ted McBurnett This is my favorite movie of all time. I think the performance by Anna Magnanni, Marisa Pavan and the rest of the cast were superb. I have lived in Key West for the past 40 years and during that time I have watched the movie many times. All of the locations/scenes shot in the movie are still intact. Serafina's home is still a residence here, the grocery store where she shopped is still here (as a private residence), the Catholic church she attended (in reality it is Episcopal) is still here, the school where the dance took place is still a school here, and the bar scene is still here. When you visit Key West, you can feel the mood and ambiance of the movie even today and the characters from the film seem to come to life. I realize that it was supposed to take place in New Orleans. However, it was a stroke of good luck/genius that it was filmed here in Key West (Tennessee's home is still here) and the story, the film and the memories of the filming are still very much alive here. When you come here take a moment and see if you don't agree.

spammyas Burt Lancaster's character is the grandson of a Sicilian village's idiot, who raped his grandmother. He happily shares this information with Anna Magnani's character and it helps explain why he is such a BUFFOON. As she notes, he has the body of her hunky beloved husband and the head of of a clown. Attracted to him sexually, she really has to work to get past what an idiot he is, but she manages. The photograph on the cover of the DVD captures her revulsion and desire. Burt Lancaster is well cast in that his physique and athleticism are prominently featured, in counterpoint to the mindlessly happy, drunken, emotional truck driver he plays. A favorite scene is when he is perched atop a mast, singing "happy bird, happy bird," being a complete simpleton and yet being powerfully attractive as he gracefully descends. It's obvious Burt Lancaster is an athlete and an acrobat and a really good actor. The developing relationship between Anna's character and Burt's is the most interesting aspect of this film. Her reactions to him are funny, believable, understandable.