75 Great Performances: #8

8. Anna Magnani as Pina in Roma, Città Aperta (1945)

The scene where Pina, played to perfection by Anna Magnani, runs after her captured husband only to meet tragedy is now one of cinema's most iconic scenes. The Italian screen legend was directed by the great director Roberto Rossellini in Roma, Città Aperta to great effect. Without being the lead character, Pina becomes central to the story and its theme, and it is largely because of how well Magnani handles the emotionality of the role. This performance made her a star of Italian and international movies, giving her the status of world cinema icon. If only more actresses of today could have such range and depth as the late great Anna Magnani.

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#9: Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972)