Isabella Ferrari- the Damsel and the Thinker

Isabella Ferrari is a versatile actress whose trademark pouty lips and intense, melancholy eyes have been gracing Italian screens for more than three decades. Born in Piacenza on March 31, 1964, Ferrari has perfected the art of playing contrasting roles like the damsel in distress and the complicated, intellectual. Influenced by Italian auteur cinema, which encompasses the neo-realistic approach to filmmaking, she delivers powerful performances with each role she tackles.

Ferrari's small screen debut goes back to 1981 in Gianni Boncompagni's television program, "Under the Stars." Two years later, she made her big screen debut in the summer comedy, "Il ras del quartiere." Diego Abatantuono, the star of the Oscar winning film, "Mediterraneo," co-wrote and starred in the film, which put Isabella Ferrari on the map and she hasn't stopped working since.

Open Roads 2005: Isabella Ferrari, Antonio Monda and Renato De Maria

With dozens of films to her credit, Ferrari's successes include the drama, "Amatemi" (Love Me), "Arrivederci amore, ciao" (The Goodbye Kiss), "Saturno contro" (Saturn in Opposition), and "Caos calmo" (Quiet chaos) just to name a few.

In "Amatemi," which was directed by her husband, Renato De Maria, Ferrari plays the role of Nina, a 35 year old woman married since she was just 15. One day, her husband, the center of her universe, suddenly leaves following a huge argument. Nina falls into the solitude of her memories, and cuts herself off from the world, until one day, a ray of sunlight literally shines into her apartment, bringing new hope to her life. She ventures out again into the world and meets people who awaken her spirit and she decides to grow and change with the world around her. The character calls on the neorealistic approach to acting that Ferrari is known for. She carries the film with the eloquence and class of an experienced leading lady. There are scenes in the film that have no dialogue and just use the expression in her eyes as the voice of her soul.

In Michele Soavi's, "Arrivederci amore, ciao" (The Goodbye Kiss), Ferrari takes on the challenging role of Flora, a woman who becomes a prostitute to pay off her husband's debts. Ferrari gives a tremendous, heart-wrenching performance, which earned her a David di Donatello nomination for Best Actress in 2006. "Flora is one of the most beautiful parts in this movie. She is a provincial lady who runs a shoe shop. She ends up selling her body to pay off her husband's debts. She is a sacrificial lamb or, as Soavi calls her, an angel," Ferrari explained.

Her character in Ferzan Ozpetek's 2006 film, "Saturno contro," articulates the conflicts of a woman torn between morally sound choices and sexual, emotional freedom. Her character, Laura, has an affair with a younger, married man. You can sense the guilt and passion between the two actors as they articulately portray the mistress and unfaithful husband. Ozpetek's all-star cast made the film an instant success and gave testament to the range of Isabella Ferrari's acting.

In Antonello Grimaldi's 2007 film, "Caos calmo," Ferrari interprets the role of Eleonora Simoncini, a pivotal character in the film. The plot explores the poignant, sometimes fragile subjects of loss, rediscovery and love. The role gave Ferrari an opportunity to work with her best friend and fellow actress, Valeria Golino, and also won her another nomination for the David di Donatello; this time for Best Supporting Actress.

Ferrari continues to work in diverse projects in both television and cinema always challenging herself to grow as an artist.

- Jeannine Guilyard

Comments

The Anthology Film Archives Presents: The Italian Connection: Poliziotteschi and Other Italo-Crime Films of the 1960s and '70's

June 19 – June 29 Influenced both by 1960s political cinema and Italian crime novels, as well as by French noir and American cop movies like "Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection," many Italian filmmakers in the late-60s and early-70s gradually moved away from the spaghetti western genre, trading lone cowboys for ‘bad’ cops and the rough frontier of the American west for the mean streets of modern Italy. Just as they had with their westerns, they reinvented the borrowed genre with their inimitable eye for style and filled their stories with the kidnappings, heists, vigilante justice, and brutal violence that suffused this turbulent moment in post-boom 1970s Italy. The undercurrent of fatalism and cynicism in these uncompromising movies is eerily reminiscent of the state of discontent in Italy today. ‘The Italian Connection’ showcases the diversity and innovation found in the genre, from the gangster noir of Fernando Di Leo’s "Caliber 9" ...

Ornella Muti: Five decades of Acting and Still Going Strong

Ornella Muti was born Francesca Romana Rivelli in Rome in 1955 to a Neapolitan father and an Estonian mother. She began her career as a model during her teenage years and made her film debut in 1970 with “La Moglie più bella” (The Most Beautiful Wife). Her follow-up role was in the 1971 film, “Sole nella pelle” (Sun on the Skin), in which she played the daughter of wealthy parents who runs off with a hippie they don’t approve of. The film offers a telling journey through Italian society in the seventies, with its political climate, breathtaking seaside, and the styles and cars of that time. Much of the film is set amid the sunny Italian seaside and captures the innocence and beauty of first love. Muti made her American film debut in 1980 with "Flash Gordon." She played the role of Princess Aura. She’s appeared in two other American films, including “Oscar,” directed by John Landis and starring Don Ameche, Chazz Palminteri, and Sylvester Stallone. In 1992, she w...

Alessandro Gassmann: Born to Act

Alessandro Gassmannin his directorial debut "Razzabastarda" Alessandro Gassmann is the son of the iconic Italian actor/director Vittorio Gassman and French actress Juliette Mayniel. He was born in 1965 and grew up around cinema royalty. He made his cinema debut in 1982 at the age of 17 in his father's autobiographical film, "Di padre in figlio." He went on to study his craft under his father's direction at the Theatre Workshop of Florence. Vittorio Gassman was very active in theater and seemed just as comfortable on stage as he did in front of the camera. Known for his powerful interpretations of Dante's "Inferno" and "Paradiso," it is no surprise that he nurtured his son's acting aspirations on stage before he launched his career in television and film. One of Gassmann's strong qualities, which he undoubtedly inherited from his father is his incredible range and ease in going from genre to genre. He can play ...

Federico Fellini: A Look into the Life and Career of an Icon

A Fellini family portrait “The term became a common word to describe something on the surface you can say is bizarre or strange, but actually is really like a painter working on a film,” said Martin Scorsese when asked to define “Felliniesque,” an adjective inspired by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The oldest of three children, Federico Fellini was born in the seaside town of Rimini in 1920. His father was a traveling salesman, so his mother was left to do the bulk of raising the children. One can argue that Fellini was born for his destiny. “You could tell that even as a child, he was different and unique. He was very intelligent, well above average. He was always the one to organize things, direct the others, make up games. He could control the other kids with just a look, said Fellini’s sister, Maddalena, in an interview with journalist Gideon Bachmann. Not only was Fellini directing the children, but he was also putting on shows and charging ...

The Timeless Vision of Pier Paolo Pasolini

Pondering his films and poetry, I wonder if the uniqueness of Pier Paolo Pasolini's films was rooted in his unconventional childhood. Born in Bologna in 1922, Pasolini's father was a lieutenant in the army, and his family was always moving. He grew up in various small towns in Northern Italy. After his parents separated, he spent most of his time in his mother's hometown of Casarsa, in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. There, he grew to respect the area's peasant culture and began to write poetry in the region's dialect. He studied literature and art history at the University of Bologna and was drafted into the army during World War II. The war proved to be especially tragic for his family as his younger brother was executed by Communist partisans. Following the war, he returned to Casarsa where he worked as a teacher and ironically became a leading member of the Communist party there. Pasolini was later expelled from the party due to allegations of homo...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog