L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano PAGE  18 THURS DAY,   JUNE  6,   2013 Burt Lancaster: A Centennial Celebration ALESSANDRA MASTROIANNI UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Hugh M. Hefner Classic American Film Program celebrate the centennial of Hollywood legend Burt Lancaster Wilder theater in Westwood. On Sunday, June 9, don't miss The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) (1963), starring Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, and Alain Delon. Burt Lancaster is the proud Sicilian prince at the center A scene from "Conversation Piece" with Burt Lancaster and Claudia Marsani with a series dedicated to his films. Two of them are alsomasterpieces directed by Italian Luchino Visconti and will be screened this June at the Billy of his sumptuous, epic set during convulsive 1860s the Risorgimento that transformed Italy into a unified nation; but when the film was shoot, Lancaster wasn't Visconti's first choice. Even after watching Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Visconti, according to Lancaster, only offered "Well, maybe." The production proved challenging for both, but the result is a towering landmark of postwar cinema. Lancaster delivers the performance of his career as the dignified aristocrat holding fast to aristocratic values in the face of inexorable change. Based on the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, the film was recently restored in association with Cineteca di Bologna. Sunday, June 30th, join UCLA Film & Television Archive for Conversation Piece (Gruppo di famiglia in un interno) (1971) with its all-star international cast, including Helmut Berger and Silvana Mangano. An underappreciated masterpiece from the mature Luchino Visconti, Conversation shows Burt Lancaster as a retired art historian settling into a life of virtual seclusion in a picturesque Roman palazzo. His self-imposed soli- Director Luchino Visconti and actor Burt Lancaster go over a scene of "Il Gattopardo" tude, however, is swiftly disrupted by the intrusion of unruly new neighbors—namely Silvana Mangano, as an imperious uppercrust matron, and Visconti mainstay Helmut Berger, glamorously sullen as the conflicted left-wing lover Mangano installs in the apartment above Lancaster's. All programs screen at the Billy Wilder Theater in Westwood Village, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024. Advance tickets are available for $10 at www.cinema.ucla.edu, or at the Billy Wilder Theater box office starting one hour before showtime: $9, general admission; FREE to all UCLA students with valid ID; $8, other students, seniors and UCLA Alumni Association members with ID. Films will be screened in Italian with English subtitles. More information at www.cinema.ucla.edu Benefit for Wounded Soldiers – Members of L.A.'s Italian American Community Turnout for Fundraiser SARAH MOORE If you were in North Hollywood last Friday night, you may have heard the singing and sounds of cheers and laughter that spilled out of Victorio's Ristorante and into the cool summer air. Inside, members of the Italian American community gathered for the "Benefit for Wounded Soldiers" fundraiser – an evening of music and comedy presented by the Sons of Italy Hollywood Lodge to raise money for the Gary Sinise Foundation. The evening's entertainment began with a pre-show performance by singer Debi Raven who filled the room with her soulful voice. Taking the stage next to perform hosting duties, actor Vincent Spano kicked the show off with a reminder of the evening's purpose and the continued importance of acknowledging and supporting the needs of first responders, veterans, and active-duty service members and the sacrifices made by their families. Leading off for the talented lineup of performers was John Lennon impersonator Joe Stefanelli who, with the help of his guitar, delivered a spot-on solo performance of Lennon hits. At one point Stefanelli, whose credits include voicing Actor Vincent Spano the Lennon character in the film Forrest Gump, led the crowd in an enthusiastic sing-a-long of Yellow Submarine. Tenor Marco Antonio Varela took the stage next and nearly brought the house down with his stunning rendition of the classic Con Te Partirò, for which he received a standing ovation from a crowd of tearyeyed fans. The tears soon turned to roars of laughter as the self-proclaimed "funniest Italians in America," The Meatballs of Comedy, featuring comedic duo Joey Sorice and Eva Miller as "Chef Eva," opened for their special guests, stand-up comedians John DiResta and Tommy Savitt. Sorice and Miller returned to the stage to close out the successful fundraiser with a drawing of names for a raffle that included a grand prize donated by actor Mark DeCarlo and the Commemorative Air Force for a fly-along experience in an authentic World War II military aircraft. Sons of Italy Hollywood Lodge is a part of the Order Sons of Italy in America, the largest and oldest national organization for men and women of Italian heritage in the United States. The Lodge and the Order are longtime supporters and partners with the Gary Sinise Foundation started by actor and activist Gary Sinise following his breakout role in Forrest Gump. The Foundation's programs and projects supporting the military community reflect Sinise's convictions about the nation's responsibilities to its service men and women.

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