The Beach
La playa
1954 · Italy, France · 100 min
- Director
- Alberto Lattuada
- Screenplay
- Alberto Lattuada, Charles Spaak, Luigi Malerba, Rodolfo Sonego
- Music
- Piero Piccioni
- Cinematography
- Mario Craveri
- Editing
- Mario Serandrei
Cast
What it is about
At a luxury resort on the Italian coast, Anna Maria Mentorsi arrives with her young daughter for a holiday, but she tries to hide her real profession from the other guests. The town's mayor begins to court her, while her past risks coming to light in a society that thrives on gossip.
How it was made
The film is an Italian-French co-production directed by Alberto Lattuada, who wrote the screenplay with Charles Spaak, Luigi Malerba and Rodolfo Sonego. Piero Piccioni composed the score and Mario Craveri shot the film. The cast is led by Martine Carol, Raf Vallone and Mario Carotenuto, and the sets, designed by Dario Cecchi, were built at the Titanus Studios in Rome. Location shooting took place around Savona, in Liguria.
Reception and legacy
In 2008 the film was selected for the list of one hundred Italian films that the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage chose to be preserved. The list gathers titles that, in the ministry's words, changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978, and it is the most notable recognition recorded for the film.
Stills
Trivia
Other international titles
Outside Italy the film was also released under the titles Riviera and The Boarder, names that point to its coastal setting.
More films by Alberto Lattuada
Variety Lights
Mafioso
Stay as You Are
AnnaOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.