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Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Have you ever wanted a tattoo? If you could have a tattoo, what would it be? For years, I had long wanted a Decepticons logo tattoo. I think it is the coolest logo, and I love villains. Sadly, I never got a tattoo. My grandmother banned me from getting one as long she was walking this earth. She has passed away, but now I don’t really feel like getting a tattoo. If I could go back in time, I would probably get a Scrooge McDuck tattoo or a tattoo from an anime series.
I am bringing this up because I recently watched The Rose Tattoo, a film adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s play of the same name. You want to talk about a film that has some major drama. I thought it was about a tattoo, but the story and drama surrounding the story are one of grief, shame, and drama. After watching this film, I will never get a tattoo or one after someone I like.
The Rose Tattoo is a film that follows Serafina Delle Rose, played by Anna Magnani. Serafina is a Sicilian seamstress living in a small city near the Gulf of Mexico. The one thing you should know about Serafina is that she is extremely loyal and proud of her truck-driving husband, Rosario. She is expecting a second child. She is a true ride-or-die woman. If you are a man, you want a woman like Serafina. Estelle rolls by and asks Serafina to make a shirt for her lover using expensive silk. Little does Serafina know that Rosario is having an affair with Estelle and that Estelle has a tattoo of a rose over her chest that matches Rosario. Straight up trifling. On the same night, Rosario is killed in an accident while trying to get away from the police while on a smuggling run. Devastated, Serafina loses the baby in a miscarriage.
The film jumps three years later, and Serafina straight-up has become a recluse. She looks like hell and is not the beauty she once was. She really let her appearance and reputation go to shit. Serafina works up the courage to go to her daughter’s graduation, but two prostitutes roll up on her and demand that she fix their bandanas for a political rally. She agrees to do it, but when he overhears them talking about men in a nasty way, she tells them to be off. This causes one of the women to straight up call out Rosario and tell her about his affair. This sets Serafina off, and when her daughter, Rosa, introduces her new sailor boyfriend to her, she makes homeboy swear to the Virgin Mary that he will respect her innocence. I might have to bounce after that.
Serafina starts losing it a little as she becomes obsessed with trying to find out if her husband had an affair. She goes to the priest and asks him. When the priest turns her away, she attacks him. How are you going to be religious and attack a priest? I don’t think God would look too fondly on that. This is when Alvaro, played by the great Burt Lancaster, shows up and pulls her off the priest. He takes her home, and seeing his shirt ripped, she offers to fix it. There’s a little spark between the pair, and they agree to meet later that night. When they meet again, Alvaro reveals that he has gotten a rose tattoo on his chest, which sets Serafina off. She tries to throw him out but then decides for him to drive her to the club that her husband went to. When she is there, she meets Estelle again, who confesses to the affair and shows the same rose tattoo. Note to self, don’t get a rose tattoo. It causes trouble. When Serafina returns home, she smashes the urn Rosario is in. Note to self again: now you have that spooky man essence all over the place. Better call Ghostbusters. Serafina also asks for Alvaro to return later that night.
Alvaro goes out and celebrates but gets WASTED and returns to Serafina. Not impressed, Serafina leaves his dumbass on the couch as she goes to bed. Rosa returns that night and falls asleep on the couch. Alvaro mistakes her for Serafina and tries to kiss her to great unrest. The following day, Alvaro is on top of a boat mast, screaming his lungs out, begging for forgiveness. Serafina forgives him but also seems to find her courage again.
The story was decent as it was one of grief and getting out of it. I like how it showed that Serafina went from looking foine to straight-up hell. It showed that the death of her husband took a major toll on her. The film showed that it was three years before she was somewhat pushed to figure out things. I felt bad for her because the town knew her husband was sleeping around, and no one told her. This means that she doesn’t have any loyal friends. I liked the introduction of Alvaro, who wanted to be with her and saw how beautiful she was.
As far as the performances go, Anna Magnani as Serafina Delle Rose was the best, and she deserved her Oscar. She played Serafina with such emotion. I love the Italian flare and temper because they brought out more in this character. She played the character who had a lot of passion for her husband but also felt bad for her because her husband was a cheater.
I don’t know about Burt Lancaster as Alvaro Mangiacavallo in this role. He did a great job, don’t get me wrong. Yet, I could tell he wasn’t Italian, and it didn’t come off right. You could tell that he was trying to do the Italian accent, and I even had to shake my head at it. I will say that Lancaster brought joy to this film as his character was loud, playful, and funny. That character was needed for Serafina’s growth.
The Rose Tattoo is one of those films you will either like it or go meh. I will have to be on the side that I enjoyed the film. I love the drama between the main character and the town she lives in. My favorite part was when she went after Estelle. Sometimes, you need to slap a person. The story is good, but the acting by Anna Magnani was excellent and should be commended. Note to self, don’t get a rose tattoo on your chest.
