La Donna Del Giorno (aka The Doll That Took The Town) (1957)

Set in Milan, an ambitious but struggling model and actress (Virna Lisi) becomes a media sensation after she is raped. Magazine covers, beauty pageants and even a movie contract. But when three men are arrested for her rape, she becomes unsettled. Could it be because she wasn't raped at all and just made it up? Directed by Francesco Maselli, this is a disturbing film on several levels. Falsely accusing someone of rape is heinous, not only because it is morally wrong but the accusation can live on and destroy a family. But we also see that in her own way, Lisi is also a victim: of an overbearing stage mother and a cold father and fame can bring her the love denied her. The film also focuses on one of the accused men (Sergio Reggiani) and his wife's (Haya Harareet, BEN-HUR) attempts to clear his name. Unfortunately, the transfer I saw was dubbed into English and I'm sure it would have been much more effective in the original Italian. Released in the U.S. with the sleazy title of THE DOLL THAT TOOK THE TOWN. With Franco Fabrizi and Antonio Cifariello.