L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 4 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS G ina Lollob- r i g i d a w a s m u c h m o r e than a star on t h e W a l k o f Fame because acting was only one of the many facets of her kaleidoscopic artistic nature, which kept her on the silver screen for more than 70 years. S c u l p t u r e , d r a w i n g , painting, photography. She was also a talented docu- mentarist and in the 1970s, a s a j o u r n a l i s t , s h e "bewitched" Fidel Castro. She created art throughout her life, without ever break- ing character, without ever abandoning the charming image the public gave her since the beginning of her career. Always incredibly beautiful and well-kept, ele- g a n t a n d f l a m b o y a n t despite her age: a woman who had really been, just l i k e i n h e r 1 9 5 5 m o v i e d i r e c t e d b y R o b e r t Z . Leonard, "the most beau- tiful in the world." U p o n l e a r n i n g o f h e r death, Sophia Loren said s h e f e l t " e m o t i o n a l a n d grief-stricken." And in the C h i e s a d e g l i A r t i s t i i n Rome, among hundreds of flowers, there were also her roses, a sign that finally dis- proved the rivalry 1950s newspapers had talked so m u c h a b o u t - a r i v a l r y caused by the fact the glam- orous Neapolitan actress took her place in the third installment of Pane, Amore e … , a f t e r L o l l o b r i g i d a refused to star in it. "Your body - Loren wrote - may have died, but your star will keep shining on us and in our hearts forever." G i n a L o l l o b r i g i d a , t h e c h a r m i n g a n d s t r o n g "Bersagliera," died at 95, after an incredible career that began when she was only 17. An incredibly exten- sive filmography: more than 60 feature films, plus many T V s e r i e s , i n c l u d i n g C o m e n c i n i ' s P i n o c c h i o (1972), where she entered the collective imagination of a g e n e r a t i o n a s t h e B l u e Fairy. She won two Golden G l o b e s a n d r e c e i v e d t w o more nominations; seven D a v i d d i D o n a t e l l o a n d three Nastri D'Argento, the most important Italian cine- ma awards; one Bafta nomi- nation as leading actress in P a n e A m o r e e F a n t a s i a . And we shouldn't forget she dubbed eight movies and recorded three songs: she had a voice that, if further trained, could have opened up the doors to a career as a singer, if she wanted. She was good at everything. We s h o u l d a l s o m e n t i o n t h e award she received from the Accademia della Arti del D i s e g n o i n F l o r e n c e , i n Continued to page 6 The fascinating legacy of Italian film legend Gina Lollobrigida A recent picture of Gina Lollobrigida, one of Italy's best-loved divas (Photo: Matteo Chinellato/Shutterstock) BARBARA MINAFRA name of her undisputed tal- ent as a visual artist. She became a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1987 but France, the first country to recognize her talent at the v e r y b e g i n n i n g o f h e r career, had already given her two medals of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1985. She was also to become, in 1992, a knight of the French N a t i o n a l O r d e r o f t h e L e g i o n o f H o n o r f o r h e r artistic achievements. Hol- lywood, who had welcomed her for the first time in the 1950s and was immediately besotted by her charm, pre- sented her with star number 2,628 on the Walk of Fame: it was February 2018 and, on that occasion, L'Italo- Americano had the oppor- tunity to interview her. "I am in Hollywood, sixty years later. I didn't expect such love, I didn't expect to receive such a fantastic gift. Being loved by people all over the world truly touches my heart," she confessed then, a tad surprised per- haps, and wrapped in a gold and light blue dress. I n A m e r i c a , s h e w a s directed, among others, by V i n c e n t S h e r m a n , C a r o l Reed, King Vidor, Melvin Frank, Robert Z. Leonard, a n d w o r k e d a l o n g s i d e w o r l d - k n o w n s t a r s l i k e Rock Hudson, Sean Con- n e r y , R o b e r t A l d a , E r r o l Flynn, Lee Grant, Shelley Winters, and David Niven, as well as famous Italian Americans like Dean Mar- t i n , B o b b y D a r i n , a n d Anthony Franciosa. She was the protagonist of interna- tionally-acclaimed Holly- wood productions like John H u s t o n ' s B e a t t h e D e v i l , with Humphrey Bogart and J e n n i f e r J o n e s , o r C a r o l

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