(Assunta Spina was canceled and replaced by The Chanteuse). "As she so effortlessly dominated every frame of film in which she appeared, vehicles had to be tailored to Magnani's measure, just as they had for the first great Italian star, Francesca Bertini, thirty years earlier. In fact, in (the postwar) period Magnani literally assumed Bertini's mantle by remaking two of the silent-era actress' best-remembered roles, Assunta Spina and Tosca." (Stephen Harvey) The 1948 version of this stage classic is one of the great masterpieces of its kind. Set against a forlorn Neapolitan backdrop of poverty and imminent tragedy, it tells of a beautiful poplana, Assunta Spina (Magnani) and her two lovers: the butcher Michele (Eduardo De Filippo), sentenced to prison, despite Assunta's protestations, for having attacked her with a knife; and a court official (Antonio Centa) who will help her to have access to Michele in prison...for a price.