The Life and Times of Actress-turned-Activist Tina Modotti

An advocate for women’s freedoms in the early 20th century, her creative achievements are still celebrated today.

Tina Modotti was an artistic and literal revolutionary. Born Assunta Adelaide Luigia Modotti Mondini on Aug. 16, 1896, in Udine, Italy, Modotti quit elementary school at the age of 12 to earn money to help her family make ends meet. Her father immigrated to the United States, and in 1913, she joined him in San Francisco. There, she became involved in the performing arts and landed parts in plays, operas and films.

Modotti starred in three silent films during the early 1920s. Only one is still in circulation. Adapted from Elizabeth Dejeans’s 1917 novel “The Tiger’s Coat,” Roy Clements’ 1920 drama has stood the test of time due to its forward-thinking takes on racism and society’s views on interracial relationships. A feast for the eyes with elaborate sets and costumes, the film follows Maria de la Guarda, aka Jean Ogilvie (Modotti), as she assumes the identity of a dead woman to hide her ethnicity and marry the man of her dreams. With her simple yet stunning good looks, Modotti radiates the mystique she was known for her entire life from the moment she steps in front of the camera.

Watch “The Tiger’s Coat” on YouTube, with a special intro...

Modotti could have cashed in on her exquisite beauty but was frustrated with the stereotypical roles being offered to her because of her Mediterranean look, so she left the movie industry. She became interested in photography and studied with legendary lensman Edward Weston. Their rapport turned into love, and the two moved to Mexico together in 1923. The change in scenery profoundly altered the course of Modotti’s life.

The couple became friends with the artists of the Mexican Renaissance, including iconic painter Frida Kahlo and her partner Diego Rivera. For the next several years, Modotti immersed herself in her craft, finding her own voice and style as a photographer. Meanwhile, the political influence of her friends was shaping her societal values, so much so that she joined the Mexican Communist Party in 1927. The line between art and politics blurred as she adapted to her new life in Mexico. She photographed people of all social classes, highlighting the plight of the poor amid the political unrest of the time.

Expelled from Mexico because of her activism, Modotti spent time in various countries throughout Europe during the mid-’30s, including Spain, where she aided orphaned children during the Spanish Civil War. During those years, she connected with prominent artists and intellectuals like Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and Hungarian-American war photographer Robert Capa, both of whom had also journeyed to Spain to offer their support.

Modotti returned to Mexico in 1939 but passed away on Jan. 5, 1942, under suspicious circumstances. The cause of death was listed as heart failure. She was only 45 years old.

Today, Modotti is highly regarded as a photographer and is frequently the subject of exhibitions around the world. Last year, the Museo delle Culture in Milan played host to the exhibit “Tina Modotti: Women, Mexico, and Freedom.” Curator Biba Giacchetti considers Modotti not only a titan of photography but also a warrior for civil justice. “During her short lifetime, Tina Modotti fought on the front line for freer and fairer humanity, and to bring aid to the civilian victims of conflicts like the Spanish Civil War,” she stated in material published in connection with the exhibit.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York has also showcased Modotti’s work, with 35 photographs taken between 1924 and 1927. Click here to view them on the museum’s website.

A six-part miniseries is being made about her life, with Monica Bellucci in the starring role and Edoardo De Angelis in the director’s chair. Produced by Argentinian filmmaker Paula Alvarez Vaccaro, the series will be titled “Radical Eye: The Life and Times of Tina Modotti.”

Several books about her life and art are available on Amazon. A restored version of “The Tiger’s Coat” is available on YouTube (see above) along with a 1983 documentary titled “Frida Kahlo & Tina Modotti.” Watch it below...

- Written by Jeannine Guilyard for the March 2022 issue of Fra Noi Magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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