Programme
Sophia Loren, Glamour Italian Style
Acclaimed as ‘The Sun of Italy’ for her wild beauty, Sophia Loren is Italy’s most significant living actress, and perhaps the last surviving star of Hollywood’s Golden Age. In a career spanning eight decades, she has worked with some of the greatest directors – from Francesco Rosi to Stanley Donen and Charlie Chaplin, starring in over 100 films with many of cinema’s most iconic leading men, from Marlon Brando to Gregory Peck.
Rising above her poverty-stricken origins in postwar Naples, Loren started her career as an actress at the age of 15. She has since enthralled the world with her earthy charisma and enormous talents, thanks to the support of film producer Carlo Ponti, whom she fell in love with at 16 and eventually married through overcoming many obstacles. The love of her life for over half a century, Ponti was also the architect of her career, producing many of her biggest international hits, and building her reputation as a universally celebrated movie star.
Equally adept at portraying prostitutes or socialites, Loren wielded a versatility that few of her contemporaries could match. Regardless of the role, her performance was always grounded in a disarming authenticity, full of intelligence and maturity that enamored her to audiences from a myriad of different backgrounds. Amplified by her infallible natural beauty, Loren projected an irresistible package of beauty, brains and endless talent.
Too Bad She’s Bad is where Loren and Marcello Mastroianni launched their onscreen courtship. This breezy sun-soaked comedy also saw the beginning of their fulfilling relationship with Vittorio De Sica, the accomplished actor and influential neo-realist auteur, who went on to team with the dynamic duo in some of the most extolled Italian dramas, including Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Marriage Italian Style and Sunflower – all set to cement their status as one of the all-time great screen couples.
At the age of 25, Loren made history by becoming the first to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for a performance not in the English language with De Sica’s Two Women, which also won her a Cannes Best Actress award. In the years since, she has been anointed with almost every major acting award going. In 1991, she also received an Honorary Oscar for ‘a career rich with memorable performances that has added permanent luster to our art form.’
This selection features some of the most enduring performances by the formidable actress – now 90, she hopes to never retire, and made it clear that legacy is the last thing on her mind.
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