Italian Cinema Today

One of Italy’s most adored comedy actresses, she is best known for her doomed love affairs in Lina Wertmüller ’s 1970s films on social class and politics. Mariangela Melato was born in Milan in 1941 to a Milanese mother and a German father who emigrated to Italy from Nazi Germany. When she was a teenager, she studied acting under Esperia Sperani, a fellow Milanese who rose to fame during the silent film era.   Melato began her acting career with small parts in television and film, but her breakout role came in Wertmüller’s 1972 “The Seduction of Mimi.” The story of a Sicilian worker cursed with bad timing, Mimi ( Giancarlo Giannini ) is forced to relocate to Torino. When he sees Fiorella (Melato) selling sweaters for a street vendor, it’s love at first sight. Before long, Fiorella becomes Mimi’s vivacious and talkative mistress and gives birth to their son.   Meanwhile, Mimi finds trouble at every turn and is transferred back to Sicily, where his wife is waiting for him along ...

Hollywood, CA. June 17, 2020 — Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2021 Announced by Walk of Fame Chair Ellen K and Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Rana Ghadban A new group of entertainment professionals in the categories of Motion Pictures, Television, Live Theatre/Live Performance, Radio and Recording have been selected to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by the Walk of Fame Selection Panel of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. These honorees were chosen from hundreds of nominations at a meeting held on June 15, 2020 and ratified by the Hollywood Chamber’s Board of Directors.  The new selections were revealed via the Walk of Fame Facebook page beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 18. “The Walk of Fame Selection Panel is pleased to announce 35 new honorees to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Selection Panel, made up of fellow Walk of Famers, hand-picks a group of honorees each year that represent various genres of the entertainment world,” said Chair and...

On this first "Female Filmmaker Friday" in November,  I’d like to pay tribute to two iconic women filmmakers who shared a tender moment this week at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles. Sophia Loren payed tribute to director Lina Wertmüller in recognition of the long overdue honorary Oscar that she received this week. I subtitled the beginning when Sophia talks directly to Lina. I find the exchange so sweet and sincere as Lina is truly moved by the words of her longtime collaborator and friend. It’s such a relatable moment between these two great women, one 85 years of age and the other 91. How many old friends do we care deeply about but just don’t get the opportunity to see? It’s a beautiful moment and gave me the chills the first time I saw it.  Watch Lina's acceptance speech... The film that Sophia is referring to is called Blood Feud . It’s a suspense film that stars Loren along with Marcello Mastroianni and Giancarlo Giannini. It was made in ...

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 r...