L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 " W h e n I w a t c h t h e m today, my movies seem even better." This is what Gina Lollobrigida used to say, not with self-complacency but because t h e r e i s t r u t h i n i t . T h o s e movies shaped our collective imagination. If we watch them, if we look at those actors, direc- tors, stories, at those incredibly beautiful actresses who made the history of cinema, photog- raphy, and glamor, we under- stand they have a different allure. They are deep and far away but very contemporary and future-oriented at the same time. We recognize the stardust, that poignant yet charming patina of time, something our modern HD screens cannot pay justice to. In truth, the crystal- clear hyper-realism of today's images can't quite reach the same levels of expressivity. Or, perhaps, it's just the melancholy of looking back and realizing time passes, or catching a glimpse, in that elegant black and white, of our lost youth and how it used to make everything more beautiful. Or was it the stories, the refined dialogues, and the elegance of people's manners that make the difference? Everything seemed more naive, even when it was transgressive, simpler and barely sketched out, even when it was supposed to be innovative. Let's talk about her, our diva, our Lollo Nazionale, who was Lollo and Loren: the divas who, in Hollywood, redeemed all Italian-Americans From the Editor also "so Hollywood." She left us at 95, taking away with her another piece of the world - ethereal and languid, sensuous yet elegant and refined - of the first half of the 20th century. With her, we lost another slice of life as it was in the 1940s and 1950s, of dolce vita felliniana, even though she didn't partici- pate in it, in the movie: upon reading the script, her husband said it wasn't suitable for her. But can you imagine it, the mar- velous and talented Gina Lollobrigida and Marcello Mas- troianni together? She was a diva, that is, the embodiment of charm, beauty, and of the ability to attract people's looks and attention by simply walking by. For her, it wasn't just about beauty, though, because Gina Lollobrigida had plenty of talents and intelligence, she was immense in her art and in her craft. And let's not forget her personality, her temperament, and her bravery in going against the grain. In his book Dive del Cinema, Francesco Costa discusses the subject of cinematic muses from an interesting angle: rather than making a list of international divas as the object of desire of millions of people, he presents what they achieved. The effects they had on the collective imagination of men and, especially, women: "My book - the author said in an interview with AGI - is a hymn to the force and courage of the actresses who brought to light female strength and creativity in western culture and who, by moving forward in an environment where making it, for an actress, was incredibly hard, led the way for all women." More than an overview of portraits of 20th-century artists, Costa's book is a reflection on a model, on seventy women starting from Italian silent cinema stars, moving to the Holly- wood lionesses of the 1930s and to the muses of nazi-fascist cinema. After the war, they would leave all sorrows behind to become glitzy and glamorous Hollywood divas and, from the 1960s onward, they would rebel against all canons to become symbols of women's emancipation. "Italian divas breached through the constrictions and oblig- ations that harnessed the women in their audience - Costa underlines. They were beautiful and seductive and, on screen, they would mock the ideal of masculinity by leading powerful men, unable to resist them, to madness and suicide." When discussing Italy's post-war cinema and presenting to his read- ers the timeless, seductive charm - different in each of them - of Magnani, Mangano, Loren, Lollobrigida, he writes that: "While Italy was rising from its ashes, divas experienced a moment of unrepeatable happiness. It was a time when the figlie del popolo, the daughters of the people, found in cinema a way to redeem a life filled with sacrifices and renunciations. Beautiful and brave, they'd learn English and go to Holly- wood." Indeed, they no longer traveled to America as migrants, as "third-class people." They were no longer victims of the humil- iation of Ellis Island, they didn't know the pain of carrying a cardboard suitcase. Nor were they confined into Little Italies as enemy aliens during the war. they traveled to America as stars. they were photographed, admired, cherished, and wor- shipped. They represented true, deep cultural and social redemption for millions of Italians and Italian-Americans. fabulous women, fierce and fearless, they managed to plan their path toward success with plenty of foresight and no fussiness, and they walked that path until they became international cinema icons. They are stars shining for their beauty, talent, style, training, and art still today. They may no longer shine here on Earth, just like Gina Lollobrigida, but on the screen, where we'll always see them, ethereal and determined at once, they'll remain eternally bright. Simone Schiavinato, Editor Simone Schiavinato NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italianaall'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano 610 West Foothill Blvd. Unit D, Monrovia, CA 91016 - Tel.: (626) 359-7715 PLEASE SEND CORRESPONDENCE TO P.O. BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization), www.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian newspaper in America, not to mention the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which repre- sents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Giudici SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTORS Catherine Accardi Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Paula Reynolds, Nicoletta Curradi, Generoso D'Agnese, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Chuck Pecoraro, Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio © 2020 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano PO Box 6528 Altadena, CA 91003 P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003

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