Italian Cinema Today

She rose to fame in the post-war films of the 1950s with her simple yet stunning beauty, quick wit and tough as nails persona. She held her own alongside Italian cinema legends like Vittorio De Sica and Alberto Sordi. Now in her 80s, she talks about the past with sweet nostalgia. Born in Rome on January 2, 1935, Giovanna Ralli wasted no time getting into show business. She made her feature film debut at the age of seven in Vittorio De Sica’s 1942 “I bambini ci guardano” (The Children Are Watching Us). Six years later, she began her theater career, becoming an actress in Peppino De Filippo’s stage company. But it was the big screen where she found her home. A small role in Federico Fellini and Alberto Lattuada's 1950 “Luci del varietà” (Variety Lights), set her film career into motion.    Among her early roles is Marcella in Gianni Franciolini’s 1955 “Racconti Romani” (Roman Tales). In the spirit of the post-war economic boom, the film follows four young men as they carry out...

During a press event for the 1962 film, “Jessica,” Neapolitan-born actor Antonio Cifariello invites Angie Dickinson to get onto a Vespa. She accepts his invitation and holds onto him for dear life. (Who can blame her?) The two swerve in and out of Rome traffic as two paparazzi follow. They switch and Dickinson gets onto the driver’s seat as the two speed by the arch of Constantine where a police officer writes them a ticket. “Jessica” was directed by Jean Negulesco and Oreste Palella. It stars Dickinson along with Cifariello and Maurice Chevalier. Set in a Sicilian village, the film follows a beautiful widow as the envious locals plot her ruin. Click on the image to stream it on Amazon..   Antonio Cifariello was a prolific actor in the 1950s and ‘60s. Among his early roles is Federico Fellini's  "Agenzia Matrimoniale," a vignette in Cesare Zavattini's 1953  “L’amore in città” (Love in the City).  He tragically died in a plane crash in 1968 at th...