O Bandido

After WW11 director Alberto Lattuada adhered to the then-current Neo-realist style and this just about squeezes into that category as the 'returning soldier' theme is essentially a peg on which to hang a gangster, noir melodrama very much in the manner of Hollywood. The influence of post-war American culture is also evident in the use of Chick Webb's 'A-Tisket, A-Tasket' and a truly bizarre rendition by a mobster of Brown and Homer's 'Sentimental Journey'.

The film's main attraction is of course the pairing of Amedeo Nazzari, a strong leading man and Anna Magnani who utilises her earthy, sexual charisma. Nazzari received a well-deserved Nastro d'Argento for his performance. Also of note in a small but telling role is Carla del Poggio who married Lattuada the year this was released and who was to be seen to great effect in his 'Without pity' and 'Mill on the Po'. The sina qua non of films of this period, the sympathetic child, is beautifully played by Eliana Banducci whose only film this seems to be, alas.

This is Lattuada's third but his first feature of note and its unevenness which stems from it's screenplay by committee, in this case numbering six, is compensated for by its performances, taut editing, momentum, Aldo Tonti's atmospheric cinematography and effective close-ups with Lattuada's father Felice again providing the score. In keeping with its Hollywood counterparts the baddie has to get his just desserts but his demise amidst the rugged scenery is imaginatively realised.