À la Riso Amaro

I recently came across these B&W shots of Catrinel Menghia in Bambi magazine issue 6. The shoot looks great and very authentic - so much that it reminds of Silvana Mangano in Riso Amaro (1949) by Giuseppe De Santis. Granted Catrinel is too skinny without Silvana's famous gorgeous curves but the spirit of the film is very much still there.

Courtesy of Fashionising.com

I don't know if it is done on purpose exactly but the resemblance is uncanny no? I see a little Maddelena from Bellissima (1951) too. I have to admit that film was very interesting and spoke volumes about the Italian spirit after the war and the ousting of the Fascist Party. It was Silvana's first film after being plucked as a winner of beauty pageant (this was how many actresses of the time were discovered) and it was painstakingly obvious that she had never acted before because she was so very green. As a result, the film became unintentionally humourous in supposedly highly dramatic scenes due to the fact she couldn't really emote (remember the scene where she shot the guy - LOL). Despite her awkward acting, she was unbelievably alluring, charming, sexy and seductive while always maintaining a coy sense of naiveté.