Bellissima: Brooding

The bench where Maddalena Cecconi (Anna Magnani), once she leaves Cinecittà, stops to think about the mistake of wanting to let her daughter enter the world of entertainment is in Piazza Mancini in Rome. Now the park is replaced by a bus terminal.

Watch on www.movieitalyplus.com

PLOT
Maddalena Cecconi, wife of a master builder, has an only daughter, Maria, an eight-year-old girl whom she adores. Maria in the eyes of Maddalena, who would like a splendid future for her, is a beautiful child. So when Stella Film announces a competition reserved for Roman girls to get a role in a Blasetti film, Maddalena decides to have Maria attend the auditions and sacrifices time and money to prepare her, despite her husband's objections. On the day of the audition, at Cinecittà, as she frantically searches for Maria who has gotten lost in the maze of buildings and offices, Maddalena runs into Annovazzi, an aide of the director who, in exchange for her help, manages to extract the last fifty thousand liras from her. The time for the audition finally arrives, but when the image of little Maria is projected in the room, the director and helpers, on seeing her so embarrassed and awkward, burst into laughter. Magdalene, who sees everything from the cameraman's booth, explodes and, after making a violent scene, takes the little girl away. In vain the director, who has discovered in the child uncommon expressive gifts, submits to her an advantageous contract. Illusions are now wrecked and family happiness regained.