Five Branded Women

Five Branded Women is a 1960 Italian-American war drama directed by Martin Ritt and produced by Dino De Laurentiis. Adapted from Ugo Pirro's novel "Jovanka e le altre", the screenplay was written by Ivo Perilli and Michael Wilson, with music by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino. Released under Paramount Pictures, it remains Ritt's only war film. Shooting took place in Italy and in Klagenfurt, Austria.

Set in Yugoslavia during the Nazi occupation of World War II, the film follows five women who are punished by partisans — their heads shaved — for consorting with German soldiers. Driven from their town, they band together to survive and eventually join the resistance. The international cast includes Silvana Mangano, Jeanne Moreau, Barbara Bel Geddes, Vera Miles and Carla Gravina, alongside Van Heflin and Richard Basehart; the film marked Moreau's first American production.