Skip to main content

The Life and Work of Monica Bellucci


Monica Bellucci as Malèna
Born in Umbria in 1964, Monica Bellucci is one of the most recognizable faces of international cinema. But she didn't always have her sights set on the spotlight. She went to college to study law and modeled to pay her tuition. Her success in the fashion world coupled with the offers that were pouring in to appear on the big screen eventually took over, changing her fate.

Bellucci made her on-screen debut in the 1990 television movie, "Vita coi figli." Just two years later, she scored her first American role in Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula." 

In addition to her native language, she speaks fluent English and French, which has made for a smooth transition from Italian to international cinema. Stateside, she has acted in blockbusters such as "The Matrix-Reloaded,"  "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." She has also appeared in several French films, and was married to French actor Vincent Cassel. She costarred with him in the 2003 avant-garde film, "Irréversible." Set in Paris, the film follows two men as they attempt to seek revenge for a brutal attack on a woman, Alex, portrayed by Bellucci. There was a lot of controversy surrounding the film when it was released due to the extreme violence in two scenes. Film Critic Roger Ebert declared it unwatchable because of those scenes.

The role that really called on Bellucci's acting skills and proved that she was more than just another model-turned-actress was Giuseppe Tornatore's 2000 film, "Malèna." She took on the title role of a beautiful widow in small town Sicily during World War II. Her character contends with the men of the village constantly chasing her while the women torment her out of jealousy.

In 2005, she starred in Bertrand Blier's French rom-com, "Combien tu m'aimes?" (How Much Do  You Love Me?), the story of an office worker who wins the lottery and hires a beautiful prostitute (Bellucci) to live with him. The film also features Gerard Depardieu and Bernard Campan as the men smitten with her.

Bellucci had a small but pivotal role in Rebecca Miller’s 2009 “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.” Her character, Gigi, is an eccentric, wealthy art collector. When her husband announces that he has fallen in love with another woman, she invites them both to lunch and delivers a pretty big bang of a surprise. The film is a rom-com, coming-of-age story for a middle-aged coming to terms with a few skeletons in her closet. Although Bellucci doesn't have a lot of screen time, I always enjoy seeing Italian actors in English-speaking roles. Plus, the stellar ensemble cast that includes Robin Wright, Alan Arkin, Winona Ryder and Maria Bello was a joy to watch.

In this clip that I recorded at the 2015 Rome Film Festival, Bellucci talks about her role in Guy Édoin's "Ville-Marie," which premiered there. Bellucci plays the role of an actress and mother who takes a role in Montreal in order to reconnect with her estranged son. The two end up witnessing a tragic automobile accident and become emotionally connected to the paramedic who showed up to the scene.



Also in 2015, at the age of 50, Bellucci played the role of an Italian seductress opposite Daniel Craig in "Spectre." As James Bond is forced to visit his past, scenes were shot amid the stunning backdrop of the Eternal City, making Bellucci feel right at home.

 Although she loves her craft, these days she is content with skipping red carpet appearances to stay home with her family. She was recently quoted as saying, "I am at a stage in my life where, if I don't go out, I don't feel I'm missing something. I get bored surrounded by people smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol. And I'm not so interested now in going to premieres or being photographed on the red carpet. I want to be with my daughter."

 Motherhood hasn't slowed Bellucci down professionally as she continues to work on both sides of the Atlantic. Her next project, the television mini-series "Radical Eye: The Life and Times of Tina Modotti" is currently in pre-production. The series is based on the Udine-born photographer and activist Tina Modotti who died at the age of 45. She was a member of the Mexican Communist Party and hung around with the likes of Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Argentinian poet Pablo Neruda. 

Due to her international appeal, many of Bellucci's films are available in the United States. Click on the titles below to stream the aforementioned films on Amazon, including a special interview with her, simply titled, "A Conversation with Monica Bellucci" in which she talks about her influences and versatility in working outside of Italy.

        

        
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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 ...
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

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Sweetness and Genius of Giulietta Masina

Fellini and Masina on the set of "La Strada" As open-hearted and sunny as Federico Fellini was dark and complex, they were perfect counterpoints during a half-century of marriage and professional collaboration.  Nicknamed a  “female Chaplin” and described by Chaplin himself as  the actress who moved him most,  Giulietta Masina confronted the tragedy of her characters with an eternal innocence and enthusiasm that gave Italians hope in the most challenging of times.  Born in 1921 in San Giorgio di Piano, a commune north of Bologna, Masina was the oldest of four children born to a father who was a music professor and violinist and a mother who was a grade-school teacher. Her parents sent her as a child to live in Rome with her widowed aunt while she attended school there. As Masina took an early interest in gymnastics, her aunt saw in her a passion for performing and encouraged her to pursue acting. So after high school, Masina attended Rome’s La...
Post a Comment
Read more