Italian Cinema Today

Photo Courtesy of Archivio Luce-Cinecitt à A retrospective dedicated to the films of Italian cinema icon Monica Vitti will be held from June 6 to June 19 at Lincoln Center in New York City.  The 14-film series, titled "Monica Vitti: La Modernista," is presented by Film at Lincoln Center and Cinecittà and marks the first North American retrospective celebrating Vitti's 35-year career. "We are pleased to partner with Cinecittà to celebrate one of Italy's most revered actresses," said Film at Lincoln Center Vice President of Programming Florence Almozini. "It is a privilege to present decades' worth of films from Monica Vitti's illustrious and prolific career, especially with many restored versions of her legendary works." Monica Vitti, a key figure in film history, began her career in the mid-1950s and quickly became a captivating presence on screen. Her collaboration with director Michelangelo Antonioni produced memorable films in the 196...

Update February 5, 2022: Italian cinema lost one of its most iconic stars. On February 2, Monica Vitti passed away at the age of 90. She suffered from dementia and hadn’t made a public appearance in nearly 20 years. Born Maria Luisa Ceciarelli in Rome on November 3, 1931, Monica Vitti pursued acting as a teenager. She started in amateur theater before her formal training at Rome's National Academy of Dramatic Arts. Shortly after graduating in 1953, she toured Germany with an Italian acting troupe and then returned to her hometown to appear onstage in a production of Niccolò Machiavelli's "La Mandragola." Her first major film role was in Mario Amendola's 1958 "Le dritte."  Her breakout role came just two years later in Michelangelo Antonioni's "L'Avventura" as the beautiful and aloof Claudia. She and the director were involved romantically, so she invested much of herself in the project, accompanying Antonioni on his difficult locatio...