The Rose Tattoo (1955)

First watched in 2004. Takes place in an Italian neighborhood on the gulf coast in Louisiana.

This was Italian actress Anna Magnani's first English-speaking film. She is wonderful as Serafina, a single parent and strict Sicilian Catholic who begins to withdraw from the world after her husband's death; she later learns of her husband's infidelities. Daughter (Marisa Pavan) starts to see boys, to her mother's disapproval.

Her mourning leads to depression but she begins to come out of it when she meets another Italian man named Alvaro (Burt Lancaster) a handsome truck driver with a rose tattoo on his chest. He brings a little zest into her life, though she's still tormented by her past.

In October 2009, one of my favorite blogs, European Film Star Postcards, did a great piece on Italian-born actress Marisa Pavan, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for "The Rose Tattoo". Check out the post.