Certain names remain myths and legends in the firmament of Italian cinema. Where only the largest and most famous can stop and stay there for a long time. Forever. Gina Lollobrigida is no exception from this point of view.
An authentic sacred monster of old-fashioned Italian filmography. Long-time actress, Italian and international pride. A career on the crest of the wave, but also marked by events that destabilized it on an exquisitely private level.
Summary
- The beginnings of Gina Lollobrigida
- The 1950s by Gina Lollobrigida
- The 1960s by Gina Lollobrigida
- The 70s by Gina Lollobrigida
- The other passions of Gina Lollobrigida
- Film Gina Lollobrigida
- Conclusions
The beginnings of Gina Lollobrigida
Gina Lollobrigida, Luigia at the registry office, was born in Subiaco on 4 July 1927. She moved to Rome with her family to attend the Institute of Fine Arts. She ranks third in one of the first editions of Miss Italia.
Her film career starts in Eduardo Scarpetta’s comedy Santarellina , where she plays the part of the protagonist at the age of 17. The 1950s represent the springboard towards Hollywood-style cinema.
Well-known producer Howard Hughes hires her. You shoot American productions in Europe. The most famous films remain Hammer Bells, Passport to the East and Fanfan la Tulipe, the latter winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
The 1950s by Gina Lollobrigida
The ” increased physics “, as the legendary Vittorio De Sica loved to call her , became one of the most prominent actresses on the Italian scene. With De Sica himself he shot the Bersagliera in Bread love and fantasy, silver ribbon in 1953. She embodied on the set the figure of the commoner who is able to enter the hearts of all men with her spontaneity.
In the following years, the cinematographic interpretation of Lollobrigida is oriented towards greater introspection and dramatic depth of itself through films such as La romana, La Provinciale and Un Bellissimo novembre.
Nicknamed by the press ” La lollo “, she stars alongside great performers such as Humphrey Bogart and Vittorio Gassman in the biographical film The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, directed by Robert Z. Leonard. Thanks to this production she won the David di Donatello for best leading actress.
In ‘ The Hunchback of Notre Dame ‘ license plate 1956 takes on the appearance of the legendary Esmeralda with Anthony Quinn in the role of Quasimodo. Sacred and profane of 1959 is characterized by the presence of Frank Sinatra who decisively embellishes the production in question.
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for Robert Mulligan’s Back In September.
The 1960s by Gina Lollobrigida
In the 60s he took part in Italian brand films such as ‘ The beauty of Ippolita ‘, The pleasant nights, Death has made the egg.
Nominated again for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy Film thanks to ‘Buonasera, Signora Campbell’ dated 1968, which resulted in a third David di Donatello.
Gina Lollobrigida is particularly appreciated by critics even when she lends herself to acting in the spaghetti western genre, far from her strings until then.
The 70s by Gina Lollobrigida
But he does it in the best way possible within 1971’s ‘ And They Kept the Million Dollars ‘ with Eugenio Martin.
1973 is the year of his last film appearance in Deadly Sin. Then comes the affirmation in the television field and a period of stop from film productions.
The other passions of Gina Lollobrigida
On TV he dedicates himself to the revival of the adventures of Pinocchio , where he plays the blue fairy.
At the same time he dedicated himself to photography and sculpture , making himself appreciated all over the world. As a photojournalist he receives wide acclaim especially when he manages to snatch an exclusive interview from a prominent figure of those times like Fidel Castro. In the photographic curriculum experiences with other lineage characters such as Paul Newman, Salvador Dali and Audrey Hepburn.
In 1984 he won a Golden Globe for best protagonist for an American TV series, Falcon Crest. In 1988 the television remake of La romana.
Towards the end of a career he enters politics within a center-left list, The Democrats.
Film Gina Lollobrigida
Here is the filmography of Gina Lollobrigida, in chronological order:
- Black Eagle, by Riccardo Freda (1946)
- Lucia di Lammermoor, directed by Piero Ballerini (1946) – uncredited
- L’elisir d’amore, by Mario Costa (1947)
- The Crime of Giovanni Episcopo, directed by Alberto Lattuada (1947)
- The Secret of Don Giovanni, directed by Camillo Mastrocinque (1947)
- Vendetta nel sole (A Man About the House), by Leslie Arliss (1948)
- Follie per Opera, by Mario Costa (1948)
- Pagliacci, by Mario Costa (1948)
- Hammer Bells, by Luigi Zampa (1949)
- The Bride Cannot Wait, by Gianni Franciolini (1949)
- Miss Italy, directed by Duilio Coletti (1950)
- Hearts Without Borders, by Luigi Zampa (1950)
- Alina, directed by Giorgio Pastina (1950)
- Dog’s Life, by Mario Monicelli and Steno (1950)
- The City Defends Itself, directed by Pietro Germi (1951)
- Enrico Caruso, legend of a voice, directed by Giacomo Gentilomo (1951)
- A Tale of Five Cities (1951)
- Achtung! Bandits!, By Carlo Lizzani (1951)
- Amor ho… but… but, directed by Giorgio Bianchi (1951)
- Wife for a Night, by Mario Camerini (1952)
- Fanfan the Tulip, directed by Christian-Jaque (1952)
- Other times, epis. The Phryne Trial, directed by Alessandro Blasetti (1952)
- The Beauty of the Night, by Rene Clair (1952)
- The Infidels, by Mario Monicelli and Steno (1953)
- La Provinciale, by Mario Soldati (1953)
- Bread, love and fantasy, directed by Luigi Comencini (1953)
- Beat the Devil, by John Huston (1953)
- The great game (Le Grand Jeu), by Robert Siodmak (1954)
- Crossed Swords, by Milton Krims (1954)
- La romana, directed by Luigi Zampa (1954)
- Bread, love and jealousy, by Luigi Comencini (1954)
- The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, by Robert Z. Leonard (1955)
- Trapeze, by Carol Reed (1956)
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Our Lady of Paris), directed by Jean Delannoy (1956)
- Anna of Brooklyn, directed by Vittorio De Sica and Carlo Lastricati (1958)
- The Law, by Jules Dassin (1959)
- Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (Solomon and Sheba), by King Vidor (1959)
- Sacred and Profane (Never So Few), by John Sturges (1959)
- Go Naked in the World, by Ranald MacDougall (1961)
- Back to September (Come September), by Robert Mulligan (1961)
- The beauty of Ippolita, directed by Giancarlo Zagni (1962)
- Imperial Venus, by Jean Delannoy (1962)
- Crazy sea, by Renato Castellani (1963)
- Woman of Straw, by Basil Dearden (1964)
- The Dolls (ep. Monsignor Cupid), directed by Mauro Bolognini (1965)
- Strange Bedfellows, by Melvin Frank (1965)
- Me, Me, Me … and the Others, directed by Alessandro Blasetti (1966)
- Hotel Paradiso, directed by Peter Glenville (1966)
- The Italian Lover (Les Sultans), directed by Jean Delannoy (1966)
- The pleasant nights, directed by Armando Crispino and Luciano Lucignani (1966)
- The Adventures and Loves of Miguel Cervantes (Cervantes), directed by Vincent Sherman (1967)
- Death Made the Egg, directed by Giulio These (1967)
- Mash, The Private Navy of Sgt. O’Farrell, directed by Frank Tashlin (1968)
- Stuntman, directed by Marcello Baldi (1968)
- A Beautiful November, by Mauro Bolognini (1968)
- Good evening, Mrs. Campbell (Good evening, Mrs Campbell), by Melvin Frank (1968)
- And They Kept the Million Dollars (Bad Man’s River), directed by Eugenio Martin (1971)
- A Welcome Guest… for My Wife, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski (1972)
- Deadly Sin, directed by Francisco Rovira Beleta (1973)
- Cento e una notte (The Hundred and One Nights of Simon Cinema), directed by Agnes Varda (1995)
- XXL, directed by Ariel Zeitoun (1997)
- Box Office 3D – The film of films, directed by Ezio Greggio (2011) – cameo
Conclusions
Beyond these shocking backgrounds of a private life, undoubtedly Gina Lollobrigida represents one of the most iconic and central female faces ever in the Italian collective imagination. Example of virtue and fulminating aesthetics. And the titles and awards achieved during a long career are not enough to summarize the essence, the greatness of the myth.
A real star like Sophia Loren , with whom a certain distance competition has always been created, according to media reports of the past. One of those timeless myths that will remain in the annals of Italian cinema. So much so that in February 2018 he received the star in the famous Hollywoord ‘Walk of Fame’ . A very prestigious award. Lollobrigida was the fourteenth Italian person to be able to boast this honor. It can be said safely: Gina Lollobrigida represented an old-fashioned cinema of which she is losing her identity a bit. Whether she is good or bad, she will see it in the coming years and decades.