The Diversity of Actress Valentina Lodovini

"I think cinema has a huge power, in that it can describe many things and awaken much in us.” Those words come from Valentina Lodovini, one of the brightest stars in Italian cinema today.

Valentina Lodovini was born in 1977 in Umbertide, a small commune in Umbria. She spent her childhood growing up in San Sepolcro in Arezzo. Since she was a little girl, she always had dreams of acting, but didn’t pursue them until she graduated from college and went on her first audition. Since then, she’s done more than a dozen a films and is earning respect as one of the most sought after leading ladies in Italian cinema.

Lodovini has had a very successful career on the big screen. Her first role was in a film with some of the biggest names in the business. Ovunque sei was directed by Michele Placido in 2004 and stars Stefano Accorsi and Barbora Bobulova.

Despite her success in film, Lodovini continues to go back and forth between television, stage and the big screen. In a 2008 interview with Luxury Magazine, she said that it seems like a switch of language to her; a cinematic language, a theatrical language and a television language. She appreciates the challenge of diversity in her career. When she is considering portraying a character, she always starts from the story, and then assesses how different that character is from others she’s taken on in the past. She always tries to choose very different women because it gives her a challenge and let’s her explore the depths of her own skills. When watching Lodovini at work, it is obvious that she indeed digs very deep within herself to bring out her characters. She becomes her characters and creates their own idiosyncrasies and uniqueness. She acts out, she moves around, she makes use of the set and props. There’s never a dull moment when Lodovini is onscreen. When asked if there is still a character out there that she’d really like to play, she had this to say; “I would definitely like some edgier, dirtier, more realistic characters. There’s too often a really frightening superficiality and vulnerability in cinema that ought to be wiped away. To fight that, I always try to convey the shades of grey within a character, the qualities that we can all relate to. For instance, if I have to play a girl next door type, I’d also like to show her imperfections and neuroses, making her more real and authentic.”

Comments

Luminous Legacies: Yoichi Ohira’s Murano Glass at Magazzino Italian Art

A new exhibition in Cold Spring, New York, is bringing the luminous legacy of Murano glassmaking into focus through the work of Japanese artist Yoichi Ohira. “Yoichi Ohira: Japan in Murano” is on view at Magazzino Italian Art until February 2027. The exhibit showcases the work of Ohira, who became a leading figure in the design of Venetian glassworks on the island of Murano. The exhibition features works that highlight the uniqueness of Ohira’s art across the decades of his career. Ohira’s earliest Murano works blend Venetian glass techniques with his own style. These pieces show balanced shapes, clear surfaces, and striking color combinations. His Venezia e l’Oriente (Venice and the Orient) decanters reflect Venice’s ties to the East, creating vases inspired by Marco Polo’s tales with a modern twist. The exhibition shows Ohira’s respect for Murano’s glass masters, displaying objects alongside preparatory drawings that map ideas to the final works of art. It also explores ho...

The Legend of Alberto Sordi - Rome's Eternal Son

′′They will always judge you, whether you behave well or if you behave badly. So screw it and live as you want but above all don't listen to anyone.′′ - Alberto Sordi By giving his fellow Italians something to laugh about during tumultuous times, he emerged as his generation’s King of Comedy. One of Italy’s best-loved personalities, Alberto Sordi played a pivotal role in Italian cinema from the end of World War II to the postwar economic boom of the 1950s. During those tumultuous years, he gave his countrymen a hearty laugh when they might have otherwise cried. Former Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi perhaps said it best: “Alberto Sordi interpreted the feelings of Italians, especially in their most difficult and tough moments.” Born in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome in 1920, Sordi grew up in a creative household. His mother was an elementary school teacher and his father, a professional musician for the Rome Opera House. A young Sordi joined the children’s choir o...

Netflix's 'Il Gattopardo" — A classic reborn

Netflix photo A new Netflix series adaptation of “The Leopard,” based on Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s seminal novel, is captivating audiences worldwide. Directed by British filmmaker Tom Shankland, the series revisits the iconic tale first brought to the screen by Luchino Visconti in 1963. Set against the backdrop of 1860s Sicily during the Risorgimento, the film follows Prince Fabrizio Salina (Kim Rossi Stuart), an aging aristocrat witnessing the decline of the Sicilian nobility and the rise of a new social order. As Garibaldi’s forces land in Sicily, the prince reflects on the now-fleeting aristocratic way of life. His nephew Tancredi (Saul Nanni) embraces the changes and aligns himself with the new order, famously stating, “If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” Prince Fabrizio, once the epitome of male, moneyed privilege, finds himself grappling with a changing world where his way of life is becoming obsolete. He comes to realize that the aristocracy ...

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 ...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog