Bitter Rice (1949)

During the planting season in northern Italy, Francesca and Walter, two petty thieves on the run from the law, become entangled in a web of intrigue when they take refuge among the rice workers and encounter the innocent Silvana. This collaboration between Dino De Laurentiis and Giuseppe De Santis, which combines a profound social commentary on labor exploitation with a melodramatic narrative rich in sensuality and danger, offers a unique blend of neorealism and pulp fiction.