Cinema Pills

Marcello Mastroianni was one of the best known and most appreciated Italian actors in the world. Among his masterpieces were the films which paired him with Sophia Loren and his leading roles for Fellini. Talent and charm. And above all, he was a star who refused to be one.

Fellini’s favourite actor, interpreter of 160 films during a very long career in which he worked with the greatest Italian directors. From Scola to Germi via De Sica, Monicelli, Risi, Antonioni, Ferreri, giving us cult interpretations as in “La dolce vita “,” I soliti ignoti “,” 8 ½ “. Very classic and experimenter, shy and friend of the people, melodramatic and comic, loved by the most popular and the most intellectual cinema. Mastroianni was a commoner who moved like an aristocrat. They say about him that he didn’t read the scripts, but when he entered the scene he seemed to have rehearsed hundreds of times.

Marcello Mastroianni brought man to the set, and in his most disparate characteristics: from a fragile existence to subtle humor. He was able to merge himself with the character and vice versa, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
«In each of his films he entered the scene giving the impression of not knowing who or what he was. He he tried to understand each other little by little as he became his character and his character became him. But, even in the end, he left us with a still questioning look» (Umberto Eco). Perhaps for this reason, Fellini, filming of La dolce vita, nicknamed him Snaporaz, a comic nickname taken from one of the director’s works. Mastroianni not only embodied for Fellini the ideal of a trusted friend: he was. Even if, as the director admitted, they saw each other little, their bond went far beyond just a professional relationship. Part of a friendship without boundaries, their complicity managed to go beyond the constant need for confirmation. We could say, a bit like the characters of Snàporaz and Mollica.

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Sophia Loren, born on September 20, 1934 as Sofia Villani Scicolone, is an Italian icon and cinema legend. Loren gained international fame and success in Hollywood during the 1950s and 1960s. Born and raised in Pozzuoli, near Naples, her talent and beauty soon captured the attention of the global film industry.

Sophia Loren’s career began in Italy, where she appeared in numerous Italian films, including “The Gold of Naples” (1954) and “Two Women” (1960). It was her performance in “Two Women” which ganied her an Academy Award for Best Actress. Thus becoming the first actor or actress to win an Oscar for a foreign-language film.

Loren’s success in Italy caught the attention of Hollywood, and she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures. She made her American film debut in “The Pride and the Passion” (1957), starring alongside Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra. Her performance in this film and subsequent roles showcased her incredible acting skills and charisma.

Throughout the 50s and 60s, Loren starred in a series of extremely popular and successful Hollywood films. The memorable “Houseboat” (1958) with Cary Grant, “It Started in Naples” (1960) with Clark Gable, and “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” (1963) with Marcello Mastroianni. Her performances earned her widespread recognition and established her as one of the most iconic actresses of her time.

Sophia Loren’s career continued to thrive beyond the 1960s. She received another Academy Award nomination for her role in “Marriage Italian Style” (1964) and appeared in various films throughout the decades. Despite being less active in recent years, she remains a revered figure in the film industry and an international icon.

Sophia Loren’s contributions to cinema have earned her numerous accolades and honours, including a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award in 1991. Her beauty, talent, and captivating presence have made her a beloved actress worldwide. What is more outstanding will always be her journey from Pozzuoli to Hollywood remains an inspiring story in the history of cinema.

Severals most iconic performances will forever remain in the history of cinema. “La Ciociara” (1960) and “Two Women” (1960) directed by Vittorio De Sica. Which earned Sophia Loren an Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the first actress to win an Oscar for a non-English language performance. “Matrimonio all’italiana”(1964) again directed by Vittorio De Sica and “Ieri, oggi e domani” (1963). The film where she acts alongside Marcello Mastroianni and effortlessly switches between characters and settings, showcasing her comedic timing and charm.

These are just a few examples of Sophia Loren’s iconic performances. Her filmography is extensive, and she has left an indelible mark on the world of cinema with her talent and captivating presence.

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Born on the 14th of August 1926 in Rome, into an aristocratic family. Arcangela Felice Assunta Wertmüller von Elgg Spanol von Braueich was a screenwriter and filmmaker of Swiss origin.
After being in a troupe of puppeteers and actress, she founded, at age 24, an avant-garde theatrical troupe, making her debut as a director.

Her film career began in 1963 under the impulse of her meeting with Federico Fellini. She worked as an assistant director on Fellini’s 1963 masterpiece 8 ½. A springboard that allowed her to realize her first film “The Basilisks”. A slow-paced portrait of life in a southern Italian town, and which was scored by Ennio Morricone.
After “The Basilisks” she directed a series of films, including the spaghetti western “The Belle Star Story”. Film which she co-directed with Piero Cristofani, under the joint name Nathan Wich.
As a committed and feminist filmmaker, through her comedies she wanted to liberate the film from social constraints of a society driven by good conscience. Lina’s more directly political films principally featured the great actor Giancarlo Giannini . The 70s marked the Wertmüller’s golden age: “The Seduction of Mimi” (1972), ” Love and Anarchy” (1973), “and Swept Away” (1974). Film afterwards remade by Madonna and Guy Ritchie – about a rich woman stuck on a desert island with a member of her boat crew.

“Seven Beauties”, which again features Giannini in the lead role, pushes Wertmüller’s specific brand of tragic comedy to its limits. Giannini is an Italian mobster who ends up in a Nazi concentration camp. Subsequently the movie won a clutch of Oscar nominations. Wertmüller was nominated for best director, best original screenplay and best foreign language film, and Giannini for best actor.

As Giancarlo Giannini said during an interview “Lina was a volcano. She knew everything, knew dance, acting, the camera, lighting, writing, editing. She had been Fellini’s assistant director; her imagination was boundless and she opened my mind”

Lina Wertmuller was the first woman to be nominated for the best director Oscar and was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2019. She died aged 93 but her legacy will never end as a testament of inestimable value for the new generations.

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Considered one of the greatest actors in the history of Italian cinema, Sordi starred in more than 150 films. Well known and beloved he received numerous awards and recognitions during his career. Sordi started acting in films in 1937, when he participated as an extra in the film ‘Il signor Max’. However, his career did not take off immediately and he had to wait until the 1950s to get his first important roles. During these years, Sordi worked with some of the most important directors of Italian cinema, such as Federico Fellini, Vittorio De Sica and Dino Risi.

Sordi’s success came in the 60s, when he played some of his most famous roles. Such as that of the accountant Ugo Fantozzi in the film series ‘Fantozzi’, and that of Commissioner Taviani in the film series ‘Il commissario’. Thanks to his versatility and his ability to play both comic and dramatic characters, Sordi became one of the most loved actors by Italian audiences.

Additionally, to his work as an actor, Sordi was a prolific director and screenwriter. Directing some highly successful films such as ‘Un italiano in America’ and ‘Il maestro di Vigevano’. Thanks to his versatility and creativity, Sordi managed to create a unique and inimitable cinematic oeuvre, which influenced many subsequent directors and actors.

Despite his death in 2003, Alberto Sordi continues to be an icon of Italian cinema for many generations of actors and directors. His ability to portray the everyday life of Italians with irony and intelligence made his films immortal. Thus contributing to make Sordi one of the greatest artists in the history of italian cinema.

Overall, Alberto Sordi was an actor, director and screenwriter of great talent, who was able to recount uniquely, the daily life of Italians. Thanks to his art, Sordi left an indelible mark on the history of Italian cinema, and still continues to be a point of reference for a moltitude people around the world.

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Miseria e nobiltà is a famous 1954 Italian film directed by Mario Mattoli, based on the play of the same name by Eduardo Scarpetta. The film tells the story of Felice Sciosciammocca, played by legendary actor Totò, a humble servant working for the aristocratic Della Noce family. The plot revolves around a meeting between Felice and the prince of the town. Who, impressed by his wisdom and irony, decides to exchange him for one of his aristocratic doubles, trying to live the life of the commonner. A comedy that emphasises social satire, exploring the contrasts between social classes and the prejudices that result.

The film shows how humble people, like Felice, can be endowed with intelligence, dignity and generosity, while the nobles can be superficial and selfish.

The film offers a combination of slapstick comedy, witty jokes and comic situations, while always maintaining a subtext of social criticism. Totò, with his skill in mime and comedy, gives the audience moments of hilarity and reflection.

Miseria e nobiltà has become a classic of Italian cinema thanks to its ability to make people laugh and question social stereotypes. The film was a great success, contributing to consecrate Totò as one of the greatest comedians in the history of Italian cinema.

The film is still appreciated today for its lightness, intelligent humour and its ability to ask questions about society and the human condition. “Miseria e nobiltà” remains a landmark in Italian cinema and a testament to Totò’s talent as an extraordinary comic actor.

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Montedoro is based on the true story of its lead actress, Pia Marie Ann. A middle-aged American woman who unexpectedly discovers her true origins only after the death of her parents. Deeply shaken, and in the grip of a real identity crisis, she decides to travel hoping to embrace her natural mother never known. She arrives in a small and remote village in southern Italy, Montedoro, where she is surprised by an apocalyptic scenario. The village, lying on a majestic hill, is completely abandoned and it seems there is no one left.

The central character and true protagonist of the movie is the ghost town of Craco, an Italian town in the province of Matera. Abandoned by its inhabitants in 1963 following a large-scale landslide by what was thought to be faulty pipe work.

Because it is dominated by the castle, Craco is an extraordinary place and a choice location for many filmmakers, including Rosi and Mel Gibson. The new center, Craco Peschiera, was built downstream. However, people of Craco, a ‘resilient community’, have moved to the other side of the mountain: a dozen houses gathered under the name of Craco. As a result, in 2007, the descendants of the emigrants of Craco formed the “Craco Society”. A non-profit organization, in the United States, which preserves the culture, traditions, and history of the place. Eventually, in 2010, Craco was included in the watch list of the World Monuments Fund.

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Antonio De Curtis, better known by the pseudonym Totò, was one of the greatest Italian comedians and actors of the 20th century. He began his artistic career in the teatro di rivista (revue theatre) and later established himself in the cinema, becoming an icon of Italian cinema. He distinguished himself for his great versatility, moving with ease from comedy to irony, from satire to parody, from poetry to drama. His comic style, which combined extraordinary mimicry skills with an incomparable dialectal verve, won over the Italian public and made him a much-loved figure.

Throughout his career, Totò worked with some of the greatest directors of Italian cinema, including Fellini, De Sica, Monicelli and Dino Risi. His most famous films include ‘Miseria e nobiltà‘, ‘Guardie e ladri’, ‘Totòtruffa ’62’ and ‘La grande guerra’. He was not only a great comic actor: he was also a committed artist, always attentive to the social and political issues of his time. In 1948, for example, he wrote and performed the comedy ‘Non è vero… ma ci credo’. The film denounced the corruption and hypocrisy of post-war Italian society.

Totò died in 1967, but his artistic legacy is still very strong today. His jokes, his imitations, and his expressions are still taken up and quoted on many occasions. His unique figure remains an icon of Italian cinema and comedy in general. A complete artist, capable of making people laugh and reflect, of moving and entertaining. His figure still remains a reference point for all those who love cinema and comedy.

One of Totò’s distinctive characteristics was his ability to improvise and his ability to make every situation comical. Although he had a script, he often used his creativity and spontaneity to enrich his performances and add comic elements.

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