Visconti's shorts are essential exercises, both revelatory in the context of the director's larger body of work and incisive on their own. His contribution to the anthology film We, The Women sees Visconti reteaming with Anna Magnani to create a social comedy. When her cab driver charges a premium fee for traveling with a dog, Magnani leaves a trail of destruction as she tries to find witnesses to correct this injustice. Il Lavoro (The Job) is the most elegant of the shorts, filmed with cohesive sets constructed in the tradition of von Sternberg. A first collaboration with Romy Schneider, the German actress plays an aristocrat who intends to separate from her husband and go to work for the first time. While the most memorable part of The Witches may be the jazzy theme by Piero Piccioni, Visconti's segment provides a close examination of the inner grotesqueries of fame, unmasking a famous movie star on vacation. Finally, Notes on a News Item is Visconti's most haunting film. Documenting the path taken by a murdered girl, the five-minute short marks a return to the atmosphere of Ossessione in addition to foreshadowing the phantasmagoria of Sandra.