In a very short scene of _Cena delle beffe, La (1941)_ Calamai shows her breasts. In no Italian movie had ever been seen such a thing before. It was a sensation for Italian audiences and many people saw the movie many times only for that scene.
Today, she is best remembered for two roles: the ill-fated female lead, Giovanna, in Luchino Visconti's proto-noir Ossessione (1943) and the eccentric matriarch, Marta, in Dario Argento's giallo-horro Deep Red (1975).