SXU Continues 2010-11 Film Series with 'Bitter Rice'

Saint Xavier University will screen the 1949 film "Bitter Rice" at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11, in McGuire Hall, Warde Academic Center, 3700 W. 103rd St., Chicago.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Directed by Giuseppe de Santis, Bitter Rice is an Italian neo-realist film that tells the story of two young women, one a petty criminal (Doris Dowling) and the other an agricultural worker (Silvana Mangano), during the rice harvesting season. A scathing indictment of harsh conditions endured by women laboring in Italy's rice fields, the film's enormous popularity was largely attributed to the erotic appeal of young Silvana Mangano. The former Miss Rome became a star overnight for her sultry debut as an impoverished yet voluptuous laborer.

"Bitter Rice" is the third of six movies in SXU's 2010-11 film series, "Working on Film." This year's film series offers an array of screenings that shed light on the experience of labor: how and where people work and the ways that work affects personal life. These stories of work span 80 years of film making and stretch across the globe, linked by the universality of work and human dignity. Upcoming films include "Killer of Sheep," "Norma Rae" and "Baran."

For more information, contact Film Series Director Alison Fraunhar, Ph.D., at fraunhar@sxu.edu or 773-298-3083.