Skip to main content

A Look at the Career of Legend Lina Wertmüller

Update: On December 9, 2021, Lina Wertmüller passed away at the age of 93.

Whether you’re referring to her name, her look or her style of filmmaking, Lina Wertmüller stands out in a crowd. Born in Rome in 1926 to a family of Swiss aristocrats, Wertmüller was a rebel at heart. She ignored her father’s pleas to study law and instead enrolled in film school. That choice would eventually land her at the Academy Awards as the first woman director nominated for an Oscar. 

After graduating from school, Wertmüller played a variety of roles in the movie business. From acting to writing plays to directing, she worked with a number of influential artists during those years including Federico Fellini, Marcello Mastroianni and her future muse, Giancarlo Giannini. In 1962, she landed a career-changing job as an assistant director on Fellini’s 8½ and the following year, made her directorial debut with The Lizards (I basilischi). The film was shot along the border of the southern Italian regions of Basilicata and Puglia, and to this day, is very much revered by the people of the south. The film speaks to the profound poverty of post-war Italy. With her trademark “whistling” music and her simple, yet powerful scenes, I basilischi was Wertmüller’s first in many social statements about the perils of man, the overpopulation and the politics that wreak havoc on the world and contribute to the suffering of the poor. 

Her great successes came the following decade when she teamed up with actor Giancarlo Giannini to churn out four consecutive spectacular and complex masterpieces, all of which received international acclaim: The Seduction of Mimi in 1972, Love and Anarchy in 1973, Swept Away in 1974” and Seven Beauties in 1975. In each of these films, Giancarlo Giannini plays a despicable character but bitter for good reason. There are numerous opposing forces in her films. For example, the North vs the South, socialism vs fascism and humility opposed to indifference. The opposition in her films is harsh. Her characters and their situations are black and white. There is no indecision. 

The most successful of these films is the dark comedy, Seven Beauties. The film earned four Academy Award nominations for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading Role and a writing category that no longer exists- Writing-(Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen--based on factual material or on story material not previously published or produced). Although the film was made in 1975, it received the Oscar nomination in 1976, also the year of Rocky and A Star is Born. Giancarlo Giannini gave a passionate, harrowing performance and deserved his Best Actor nomination. Set in Naples during World War II, Seven Beauties is the story of Pasqualino, a brother always defending the honor of his family. When a pimp forces his sister to work as a prostitute, refusing to marry her and then verbally insulting the family, Pasqualino commits murder and then admits to the murder, saying he did it to protect the honor and name of his family. His lawyer convinces him to plead insanity for a lesser sentence. Desperate to get out of the insane asylum, he volunteers to join the military. What follows is a heart-wrenching account from the trenches of war. As bleak as the story is, Wertmüller and Giannini manage to fit in some serious comedy relief. The film is an artistic testament to the cruelty of mankind and the moral struggle between good and evil. Click here to stream Seven Beauties on Amazon.

A scene from Love and Anarchy
The quality most refreshing in the films of Lina Wertmüller is the political incorrectness within her screenplays. Her writing was light years ahead of its time, yet her style and freedoms were very much of the 60’s and 70’s. Some scenes are almost uncomfortable to watch but they transport the audience back to a time when society wasn’t so easily offended, when we were all grown-ups enjoying a fictional film and appreciating the artistry and craft of writing dialogue. Wertmüller’s freedom with words like communism, socialism, fascism, idealism, Marxism, capitalism and the ease with which her characters engage in heated political exchanges demonstrates the brilliant collaboration and rooted understanding she had with her actors and their complete freedom of expression. The depth of the dialogue and the articulately developed characters with their complexities and idiosyncrasies speak volumes to Wertmüller’s talent as a screenwriter. Her characters have painful pasts, which become apparent right away. 

At 89-years-old, Lina Wertmüller is still very much relevant today. Last year at the 72nd Venice Film Festival, a young director named Valerio Ruiz presented his documentary film, Behind the White Glasses, which honors the life and work of Wertmüller. Artists like Martin Scorsese, Sophia Loren and Giancarlo Giannini talk about their experiences working with her and the qualities that make her so unique.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Golden Age Masterpiece: Luchino Visconti’s 1957 “White Nights”

Photo Credit: Archivio Luce Cinecittà Luchino Visconti’s 1957 film, “White Nights” (“Le notti bianche”), offers a thoughtful and poignant exploration of themes such as loneliness, desire and emotional vulnerability. Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novella of the same name, it transports the tale from 19th-century St. Petersburg to a dreamy mid-20th-century Italian setting. While Visconti remains largely faithful to Dostoevsky’s narrative, his characteristic style infuses the film with emotional depth, striking visuals, and a focus on class and societal constraints.   The story follows a young man named Matteo, played by Marcello Mastroianni, who lives a solitary life in a small Italian town. One evening, he encounters a beautiful young woman named Natalia, portrayed by Austrian-Swiss actress Maria Schell, who is also feeling isolated. Although she is initially reluctant, Natalia eventually confides in Matteo about her love for a man who has promised to return and marry her, but he ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Conversation with Sergio Castellitto

Sergio Castellitto has made a profound impact on world cinema, both in front of and behind the camera. Born in Rome in 1953, Castellitto graduated from film school in 1978 and credits American cinema with pushing him toward a career in acting. His work has garnered numerous accolades, largely due to his immersive, original approach to projects in film, television and theatre. Castellitto is fluent in French and English, which has contributed mightily to his international stardom. But it's the actor's trademark brown eyes and charming everyman qualities that have lent his various characters -- even the ones that are rough around the edges -- an air of dignity that other actors might not have achieved. Sergio Castellitto and Margaret Mazzantini, 2005 Films such as "Paura e Amore," "L'uomo delle stelle," "Caterina va in città," and "Bella Martha" heralded Castellitto as a versatile artist with far-reaching abilities. But it ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Interview: Cristina Scabbia of Italian Heavy Metal Band- Lacuna Coil

Photo by Jeremy Saffer ( http://store.jeremysaffer.com/collections/tenthirtyoneinc ) Lacuna Coil is a heavy metal band whose unique sound and creative music videos have catapulted them to international stardom. The band consists of Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro on vocals, Marco Coti Zelati on bass, Cristiano Migliore and Marco 'Maus' Biazzi on guitars and Cristiano 'CriZ' Mozzati on drums.      All members hail from Milan and bring to the table their own signature talent. A few years ago, the internet buzz about Lacuna Coil's music videos prompted me to check them out on YouTube. I've been hooked ever since. Their videos are creative vignettes shot all over the world, directed by cutting edge filmmakers in Europe and the United States.   Although Lacuna coil is considered a heavy metal band, the unique melodies in their songs are rarely found in traditional heavy metal.   The range of the band is also something you rarely see in this genre of mus...
Post a Comment
Read more

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 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ettore Scola explores enduring friendships and lost ideals in 'C’eravamo tanto amati'

A scene from "C'eravamo tanti amati" Mixing both tragedy and humor, Ettore Scola ’s 1974 film “C’eravamo tanto amati” (“We All Loved Each Other So Much”) follows 30 years in the lives of three men and the woman they each adore. By examining how his generation changed after the war, Scola makes a film that reflects its era. Scola explores the moral, political and emotional evolution of Italy’s postwar generation and, in doing so, creates a film that is a chronicle of its time and a love letter to cinema. The story begins in the aftermath of World War II. Three friends — Antonio ( Nino Manfredi ), Gianni (Vittorio Gassman) and Nicola (Stefano Satta Flores) — emerge from the Italian Resistance with a shared dream of justice, equality and social renewal. They are united by their hope that the sacrifices of war will lead to a better world. But the decades that follow prove to be challenging as Italy undergoes massive social changes, from the postwar economic boom to the politi...
Post a Comment
Read more