by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Assunta Spina, the popular stage drama by Salvatore Di Giacomo, was first filmed in 1913. This pioneering Italian feature has been hailed as a precursor to the postwar neorealist movement, so it stands to reason that the 1947 remake would star the queen of neorealism, Anna Magnani. The original story about a young woman caught in the middle of a deadly Neapolitan vendetta had hardly dated one iota in the intervening three decades. Critics found fault only with leading man Eduardo Di Fillipo, who was considered too old for the part of Magnani's headstrong, hot-blooded lover. Assunta Spina was released in the U.S. as Scarred.
