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Taking place during the rice planting season in Northern Italy's Po Valley, Bitter Rice sympathetically follows the plight of dozens of women who make the annual pilgrimage to harvest the existing crops and deposit new plants (a job ideally suited for delicate female hands).

In a desperate attempt to avoid the police Francesca (Doris Dowling) and Walter (Vittorio Gasman) find themselves on a busy train station in Northern Italy where massive groups of seasonal workers are heading towards the rice plantations of the Po Valley. As Walter disappears in the crowd Francesca joins a group of women who seem visibly excited that work is finally on the horizon. Francesca soon befriends the voluptuous Silvana (Silvana Mangano) and upon arrival at the rice fields the two quickly become involved in a deadly web of lies and murder.

BD50 + DVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 0 | 44.2 Gb + 7.77 Gb
Language: Italiano
Subtitles: English
Genre: Drama

Director: Giuseppe De Santis
Cast: Vittorio Gassman, Doris Dowling, Silvana Mangano, Raf Vallone
Country: Italy

Extras:

• Giuseppe De Santis (2008) - this documentary film was produced by Carlo Lizzanni, who was one of the writers that worked on the script for Bitter Rice. (Carlo Lizzanni also had a prolific career as a director. His directing credits include such films as Wake Up and Kill, Requiescant, Love in the City, and Kleinhoff Hotel). The film takes a closer look at the life and legacy of Giuseppe De Santis and the production history and success of Bitter Rice. Included in it are clips from archival interviews with Carlo Lizzani, Giuseppe De Santis, director Ettore Scola (A Special Day), and actors Sabrina Ferilli (The Great Beauty), Lino Capolicchio (The Garden of the Finzi Contini), Francesca Neri (The Ages of Lulu, Hannibal), and Massimo Girotti (Facing Windows), amongst others. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (53 min, 1080i).

• Carlo Lizzani - in this archival video interview, Carlo Lizzani recalls how he became involved with Bitter Rice, and discusses the casting process and the shooting of the film. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (7 min, 1080i).

• Trailer - original Italian trailer for Bitter Rice. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (4 min, 1080p).