Projecting the Diva’s Voice: Anna Magnani in Visconti’s Bellissima

Abstract

In the immediate post-war period of Italian cinema, Anna Magnani emerges as icon of a nation struggling with its recent past. Unlike most cinematic divas, however, Magnani is not lauded or cast for her great beauty. It is mainly her voice that directors mobilize to represent Rome, the working class, and a culture in transition. This article argues that Magnani’s skilled manipulation of her own authorial voice also outlines the struggles inherent to female identity as shaped by the cinema. Specifically addressing Magnani’s role in Bellissima (Visconti, 1951), the article identifies the diva as a disruptive force, particularly in the realm of sound, contending that Visconti employs Magnani’s powerful vocal presence to articulate his disappointment with the increasing superficiality of Italian cinema in the 1950s. More broadly, the article encourages a reinterpretation of the cinematic diva that would lead to a shift in feminist film criticism: the prioritization of female vocal presence above visual lack in order finally to project authentic representations of female identity in film.