La rossa

Amelia, a beautiful and irrepressible girl known as "La Rossa", returns from Paris to her country, a small seaside town in southern Italy, where her father is the lighthouse keeper. To her father and her fellow villagers, she gives the impression that she is married to a rich gentleman. In reality she is only the friend of Pierre Dupont, an elegant Parisian bandit. Dupont, however, actually gives the girl a certain economic comfort. Later Pierre arrives in the country incognito, being wanted for a large theft of jewels in Paris, and Amelia, her lover and accomplice, helps him to hide.

Directed by Luigi Capuano, La rossa leans on a strong ensemble — Fulvia Franco, Virna Lisi, Franco Ricci — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1955.