SILVANA

“We do not remember days; we remember moments.” – Cesare Pavese

Nostalgia again today for Song Saturday. Silvana Mangano was one of the great actresses of post-WWII Italy and she made several classic films. One of these was the 1951 weepie, “Anna”.

Anna is the story of a woman with a past that catches up with her. A young girl, Anna, falls in love with a soldier during the war and their acquaintance develops into a love affair. The soldier is reassigned, Anna becomes depressed and takes a wrong turn, becoming a cabaret singer and dancer. She receives news that her lover has been killed and decides to leave her life of sin and atone for it by becoming a nun. The past, however, will not leave her in peace especially as she is brought face to face with a man from her past…

Several catchy songs were in this movie, which became world-wide hits in the 50s. Here is “El Negro Zumbon”, with Silvana doing her thing in the night club.



The other song which is remembered more as sung by Nat King Cole is “Non Dimenticar…”: Don’t forget that I’ve loved you deeply… What if fate separated us, what if you are so far away from me, I always feel I’m next to you…

However, this is the original version!



Ahhhh, they don’t write songs like that any more!