Wild Is the Wind (1957 film)

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Wild is the Wind
Poster of the movie Wild Is the Wind.jpg
Directed by George Cukor
Written by Arnold Schulman
Based on La Lupa
by Giovanni Verga
Produced by Hal B. Wallis
Starring Anna Magnani
Anthony Quinn
Cinematography Charles Lang
Edited by Warren Low
Music by Dimitri Tiomkin
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • December 11, 1957 (1957-12-11)
Running time
114 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.5 million [1]

Wild is the Wind is a 1957 American drama film directed by George Cukor and starring Anna Magnani, Anthony Quinn, and Anthony Franciosa. It tells the story of an American rancher who, after his wife dies, goes to Italy to marry her sister, but finds that she falls in love with his young ranch hand.

Contents

The screenplay was adapted by Arnold Schulman from the 1947 Italian film Fury , which was in turn loosely based on Giovanni Verga's novella La Lupa . The title song, "Wild Is the Wind", was performed by Johnny Mathis. The Italian title was 'Selvaggio è il vento', literal translation of the original English.

Plot

Gino (Anthony Quinn) is a sheepherder in Nevada who travels to Italy to marry Gioia (Anna Magnani), the sister of his wife, who died a number of years previously.

He brings her back to his ranch, but struggles with the memory of his dead wife, even calling Gioia by his last wife's name. With Gino feeling disappointed with her, Gioia feels neglected and resentful that she is constantly being compared with her late sister and found wanting.

She turns outside of her marriage to fulfill her needs and has an affair with Bene (Anthony Franciosa), a ranch hand whom Gino raised from boyhood and considers as almost a son.

Only then does Gino realize how much he needs Gioia; he pleads with her to stay at the ranch instead of returning to Italy.

Cast

Release

The film was the official American entry at the 8th Berlin International Film Festival. [2]

Awards and nominations

AwardCategoryNominee(s)Result
Academy Awards [3] Best Actor Anthony Quinn Nominated
Best Actress Anna Magnani Nominated
Best Song "Wild Is the Wind"
Music by Dimitri Tiomkin;
Lyrics by Ned Washington
Nominated
Berlin International Film Festival [4] Golden Bear George Cukor Nominated
Best Actress Anna MagnaniWon
British Academy Film Awards [5] Best Foreign Actress Nominated
David di Donatello Awards Best Actress Won
Golden Globe Awards [6] Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominated
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Anna MagnaniNominated
Laurel Awards Top Male Dramatic PerformanceAnthony Quinn4th Place

See also

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References

  1. "Top Grossers of 1958". Variety. 7 January 1959. p. 48. Please note figures are for US and Canada only and are domestic rentals accruing to distributors as opposed to theatre gross
  2. Myers, Harold (2 July 1958). "Political Tensions, No U.S. Stars Mark Opening Of Berlin Film Fest". Variety . p. 2. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  3. "The 30th Academy Awards (1958) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
  4. "Berlinale 1958: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
  5. "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1959". BAFTA . 1994. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  6. "Wild Is the Wind – Golden Globes". HFPA . Retrieved July 5, 2021.