Noin the contemporary fashion of the advances, of the fashion and design weeks that start the day before the official calendar, the Venice Film Festival 2023 follows with a pre-opening dedicated to Gina Lollobrigidawho passed away on January 16 at the age of 96.
The tribute provides the double screening in Sala Darsena (21 hours) of Portrait of Gina Of Orson Wells (documentary from 1958 but released in the 80s) e The Provincial Of Mario Soldati (1953), version restored by the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia-Cineteca Nazionale, in collaboration with Compass Film. Screenings that are part of the Venice Classics program of the 80th Venice Film Festival and in the project of initiatives dedicated to the great actress conceived by the Undersecretary for Culture Lucia Borgonzoni and by the President of Cinecittà Clare Sbarigia. Project that also includes two photographic exhibitions ongoing in Rome and Venice and an award for young talentswhich will be presented during the Venice Film Festival.
Venice Film Festival 2023: Gina Lollobrigida opens
Of the two projections, the more interesting is Portrait of Gina (restored by the Filmmuseum in Munich). The shot is in fact part of a pilot episode of an ABC TV series dedicated to Italy, where Orson lived for 20 years intermittently from 1957 to 1969. A never completed series in which the director was supposed to tell people and places in our country. With Gina the spearhead of a survey on Roman cinema, along with interviews with De Sica, Rossano Brazzi, Paola Mori (Wells’ third wife) and Anna Gruber.
Hated by the executives of the American channel, this documentary what a documentary it was, the director defined it “a personal essay”. In which he wasn’t trying to be factual but just not to tell lies, in the diary tradition. “They are my reflections on a given subject, Lollobrigida, and not on what it really is,” she said. It should be added that Lollobrigida was not even convinced of the result, who apparently opposed her diffusion because she was portrayed as a merely ambitious actress.
Ended up in the Lost & Found warehouse of the Ritz Hotel in Paris, Portrait of Gina (known then by the series name: Long live Italy), re-emerged in a warehouse in the mid-eighties, in 1986. The year in which it was screened at the Venice Film Festival, screening which was attended by Gina herself, who immediately made us put a ban on it. Half successful attempt because thanks to a passage on German television pirated copies began to emerge on the market.
“Portrait of gina”. (The Biennial)
The provincial
The second projection is a 1953 film, The provincial Of Mario Soldati – female literary drama based on the homonymous novel by Alberto Moravia. Who also edited the screenplay. Gina plays Gemma, one of her unforgettable characters in her career.
A commoner daughter of a landlady (Nanda Primavera) who falls in love with a rich young man, Paolo Sartori (Franco Interlenghi). However, she cannot marry him as she is her illegitimate half-brother. Having overcome the disappointment, she resigns herself to marrying Professor Franco Vagnuzzi (Gabriele Ferzetti), for whom she does not feel true affection. Blackmailed by Countess Elvira (Alda Mangini), Gemma becomes the lover of a certain Vittoni (Renato Baldini). Franco suspects nothing. When Elvira threatens to follow the couple to Rome, where Franco is about to be transferred, an exasperated Gemma lashes out at the woman and wounds her. Thus he manages to drive her away and reconcile with Franco.
“The Provincial”. (The Biennial)
Mario Soldati says: «To do The provincial as I wanted, I had to fight to the death with the producer. The dispute was based on this: there were two treatments to choose: one had been performed by a French screenwriter who also made some very good films. The treatment of Provincial it was done well, but with normal cooking, and with the character of the girl’s husband as Moravia saw him, that is, an old-fashioned, sentimental and romantic character. The other was mine and Bassani’s. I said: “I do my own and I don’t do F’s.” and the producer: “no, I’ll do F.’s, and I won’t do yours, otherwise, I won’t make the film” and then I: “Well, let’s not make the film”».
Gina at the Film Festival: “Igor Stravinsky arrived and no one recognized him”
Gina’s first time at the Mostra was in 1950, with three films: Hammer bells And Hearts without borders by Luigi Zampa, e The bride can’t wait by Gianni Franciolini. He then returned in 1952 together with Vittorio De Sica for the episode The process of Phryne in the film by Alessandro Blasetti Other times.
In 1954 it was the turn of the success of The Roman by Luigi Zampa, to whose screening she arrived – like a true queen – in a carriage (together with Alberto Moravia). Such was the turmoil and surprise, the fans who had been waiting for hours for her arrival on the Lido, that on theEuropean, Oriana Fallaci wrote that «Igor Stravinsky arrived and no one recognized him». Not that it was difficult compared to a cinematic glory.
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