A few months after her passing in January, the Mostra del Cinema pays tribute to Gina Lollobrigida, muse of Vittorio De Sica and many other Italian and international filmmakers, an iconic figure and an extraordinary interpreter of a golden era in Italian cinema.
The pre-opening evening on August 29th (at 9 pm in Sala Darsena) will be entirely dedicated to her charm and talent, featuring two special screenings as part of the Venezia Classici program. “Portraits of Gina,” directed by Orson Welles in 1958, includes an interview by the director with the Subiaco diva while she was at her villa on the Appian Way. Originally produced as a pilot episode for American television network ABC, it was ultimately rejected by the producers and remained unreleased until 1986, the year in which the Venice Film Festival decided to screen it on the occasion of the first anniversary of the director’s passing. This unique auteur story-reportage is now being presented in collaboration with Cinecittà, featuring a version restored by the Filmmuseum in Munich.
Following this, there will be a screening of “La provinciale,” a literary drama by Mario Soldati, based on the homonymous story by Alberto Moravia. In this film, Gina Lollobrigida, portraying the character of Gemma, a commoner, delivers one of the finest performances of her career.
Both films are part of the comprehensive project of initiatives dedicated to Gina Lollobrigida, a project conceived by the Undersecretary of Culture Lucia Borgonzoni and Cinecittà President Chiara Sbarigia. This project also includes an award for young talents, which will be presented during the Venice Film Festival.
La provinciale, a 1953 film directed by Mario Soldati, was included by critics in 2008 among the one hundred Italian films “that altered the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978.” The skill of the actors becomes evident to all, from Gabri...
This pilot episode of a television series for ABC was rejected by the producers due to its perceived unorthodox nature and lack of content. The entire project, which had included a series of interviews conducted by Orson Welles with various personalities of Italian cinema, was...
