And the Wild, Wild Women is a 1959 prison drama starring two legends of Italian cinema: Giulietta Masina ("La Strada") and Anna Magnani ("The Rose Tatoo"). The film explores the grim realities of post-war Italy, and the lingering poverty that split the country into haves and have-nots. Young housewife Lina (Giulietta Masina) is wrongly convicted of theft and sent to prison to live among murders, thieves and prostitutes. Luckily for vulnerable Lina, her more experienced cellmate Egle (Anna Magnani) befriends her and educates her in the ways of criminal life, and helps her survive the brutal ways of the prison. Egle uses her forceful personality to dominate this small world. Amongst the harder prisoners, Lina also finds simple women like herself, who simply did not pay a tax or were unjustly accused. Eventually, Lina's case comes up for reconsideration, but will her time behind bars change her irrevocably? Directed by Renato Castellani, this black and white feature explores the larger Italian society through the unfortunates in their midst.moreless