Bitter Rice (1948)

Born in Fondi, Italy. Film critic and early advocate of Italian neorealism who turned to directing after co-writing several films, notably Luchino Visconti's first feature OSSESSIONE (1942). 1950: BITTER RICE (1948) remains De Santis's best known work, a somber but sexy study of female rice pickers in the Po Valley starring Silvana Mangano. His other notable writing-directing credit is the Italy-Yugoslavia co-production, THE ROAD A YEAR LONG / LA STRADA LUNGA UN ANNO (1958), which received an Oscar® nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for 1958. His brother Pasqualino De Santis won an Academy Award for his cinematography for Zeffirelli's ROMEO AND JULIET (1968).  Nominated for Writing (Motion Picture Story) 1950: BITTER RICE (w. Carlo Lizzani) 1 nomination