Bitter Rice

Bitter Rice Italian Riso Amaro is a 1949 Italian film made by Lux Film, written and directed by Giuseppe De Santis. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis, starring Silvana Mangano, Raf Vallone, Doris Dowling and Vittorio Gassman, Bitter Rice was a commercial success in Europe and the United States. It was a product of the Italian neorealism style. The Italian title of the film is based on a pun since the Italian word riso can mean either rice or laughter, riso amaro can be taken to mean either bitter laughter or bitter rice.

The film begins at the start of the riceplanting season in northern Italy. In an effort to escape the law, two smalltime thieves, Francesca Doris Dowling and Walter Vittorio Gassman, hide amongst the crowds of female workers heading to the rice fields of the Po Valley. While attempting to board the train for the fields, the pair runs into Silvana Silvana Mangano, a peasant rice worker. Francesca boards the train with Silvana, who introduces her to the planters way of life. Francesca does not have a work permit, and struggles with the other illegals to find a place on the rice fields. After initial resistance from documented workers and bosses, the scabs are allowed a place in the fields. At the fields, Silvana and Francesca meet a soontobedischarged soldier, Marco Raf Vallone, who unsuccessfully tries to attract Silvanas interest.Toward the end of the working season, Walter arrives at the fields, intending to steal a large quantity of rice. Excited by his criminal lifestyle, Silvana becomes attracted to Walter. She causes a diversion to help him carry out the heist, but Francesca and Marco manage to stop Walter and his accomplices. Francesca and Silvana face each other, armed with pistols Francesca confronts Silvana and explains that she has been manipulated by Walter. In response, Silvana turns her gun toward Walter and murders him. Soon afterward, her guilt leads her to commit suicide. As the other rice workers depart, they pay tribute to her by sprinkling rice upon her body. ........

Source: Wikipedia