L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 4 W h e n w e t h i n k o f s p e c i a l e f f e c t s today, we often picture algorithms and digital modeling, but there w a s a t i m e w h e n m o v i e magic was created by arti- sans, people who could turn r u b b e r , m e t a l , a n d w i r e s into emotion. Carlo Ram- baldi was the most poetic of these artisans: a true inven- tor of wonders, able to give expression, breath, and even m e l a n c h o l y t o c h a r a c t e r s and creatures he considered far more than mere props. While contemporaries like Rick Baker and Stan Win- s t o n w e r e p u s h i n g t h e boundaries of animatronics a n d m a k e u p , R a m b a l d i carved a unique space for himself by treating movie creatures as characters with p s y c h o l o g i c a l d e p t h a n d narrative weight. Trained in both fine arts and mechanical engineer- ing, Rambaldi merged aes- thetic sensibility with struc- t u r a l i n g e n u i t y , a r a r e pairing that made him the go-to artist when studios n e e d e d s o m e t h i n g n e v e r s e e n b e f o r e . H i s w o r k actively bridged two worlds: t h e a r t i s a n t r a d i t i o n s o f postwar Italy and the large- scale, effects-driven produc- tions of American cinema. In doing so, he became one of the few Italians to shape the language of Hollywood blockbusters from behind the scenes. The 2026 posthumous star on the Hollywood W a l k o f F a m e – announced in his centennial y e a r – u n d e r s c o r e s t h e e n d u r i n g i m p a c t o f h i s work. It's a recognition typi- c a l l y r e s e r v e d f o r v i s i b l e p e r f o r m e r s , m a k i n g i t s award to a special effects artist all the more signifi- cant. Rambaldi's influence can still be seen in directors' renewed interest in practi- cal effects over CGI, a trend rooted in the kind of tactile, emotionally powerful work he pioneered, characterized by creatures that were both a s t o n i s h i n g a n d e a s y t o empathize with. A three-time Academy Award winner, beloved by directors such as Spiel- b e r g , R i d l e y S c o t t , a n d David Lynch, Rambaldi cre- ated, in fact, some of the most iconic images in mod- ern cinema – above all, the alien in E.T., the biome- chanical being in Alien, a n d t h e g i g a n t i c K i n g Kong in the 1976 remake, w h i c h m a r k e d h i s H o l l y - wood debut. It was producer Dino De Laurentiis who brought him to the US for that monu- mental challenge, a project that launched Rambaldi's international career. Born i n V i g a r a n o M a i n a r d a , a small town in Italy's Emilia r e g i o n , R a m b a l d i l i v e d between Los Angeles and Italy for many years – from 1975 until 2003 – when he r e t i r e d a n d j o i n e d h i s y o u n g e s t d a u g h t e r , D a n i e l a R a m b a l d i , i n Lamezia Terme, Calabria, w h e r e h e s p e n t h i s f i n a l years. This year, on the cen- tennial of his birth, comes, as we said, a deeply mean- ingful and symbolic tribute: the awarding of a posthu- mous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, alongside the greatest names in cinema history. We of L'Italo Ameri- cano had the pleasure of speaking with his daughter Daniela, who now leads the foundation dedicated to her f a t h e r . T o g e t h e r , w e retraced the legacy of the "Geppetto of cinema," as Steven Spielberg once called h i m , t h r o u g h p e r s o n a l memories and an artistic vision. W h a t w a s i t l i k e g r o w i n g u p w i t h a father like Carlo Ram- baldi? He wasn't a traditional d a d . H e d i d n ' t c o m e t o s c h o o l e v e n t s , p l a y s , o r b i r t h d a y s . B u t t h e r e w a s a l w a y s a s t r o n g b o n d between us. I was the third c h i l d , b o r n t w e l v e y e a r s after my brothers, so I was the "baby" of the family. We lived in a very creative envi- ronment: I always saw him w i t h a p e n o r p e n c i l i n hand. He didn't play cards or tennis, didn't have con- ventional hobbies. Even on vacation – like in Cabo San L u c a s – h e ' d b r i n g h i s s k e t c h p a d s a n d p a i n t s . Those were the moments we really connected, when we talked about my dreams, my goals. As I got older, I came to love that side of him even more. Did he have a studio at home too? His real workshop was outside the house, where he built the film characters. But at home, we had a large table under the patio, and that's where he would draw, especially in the evenings. In California in the '80s, the w e a t h e r w a s m i l d y e a r - Carlo Rambaldi: a star on the Walk of Fame for the man who gave a soul to his creatures SILVIA NITTOLI NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS CONTINUED TO PAGE 6 Rambaldi at work for the creatures in Dune (Photo courtesy of Fondazione Culturale Carlo Rambaldi)

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