Born Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone on September 20, 1934, Sophia Loren has an unrivaled career both in her native Italy and in Hollywood, appearing in nearly one hundred films over seven decades. She started as an extra for the film studio Cinecittà, before catching the attention of future husband Carlo Ponti, who cast her in her breakout role in The Gold of Naples (1954). Collaborating with Ponti on 34 films together, frequently starring opposite the charismatic Marcello Mastroianni, and often featured in works with and by Vittorio De Sica, Loren has tackled subject matter both intense and lighthearted with a grounded earthiness and head-turning magnetism. Winner of an Academy Award for Best Actress for her devastating turn in Two Women (1960), the first time an acting award went to a performance not in the English language, Loren also received an Honorary Oscar in 1990 for “a career rich with memorable performances [that] has added permanent luster to our art form.”
In celebration of her 90th birthday, the Academy Museum presents this overview of some of Loren’s most enduring performances.
The series will open with Vittorio De Sica’s “Two Women” (La Ciociara), which earned her the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Oscar in 1962, making her the first actress to win for a performance in a non-English language. The retrospective will then feature, on November 8 at 7:30 pm, The Life Ahead, directed by her younger son Edoardo, which marked her return to the big screen in 2020 and is based on the poignant novel by Romain Gary. The actress won her last David di Donatello for this film; a song from the soundtrack performed by Laura Pausini won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar, while the film ranked in Netflix’s top 10 in 37 countries.
At both screenings, the actress herself will introduce the films, alongside Edoardo and Cinecittà President Chiara Sbarigia. The program also includes films rarely screened in the United States, such as Mario Mattoli’s Poverty and Nobility and Dino Risi’s The Sign of Venus, where Loren took her first steps in cinema, alongside classic titles like Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Marriage Italian Style, and A Special Day, which marked her collaborations with Vittorio De Sica and Marcello Mastroianni.
Cinecittà will also present its new 4K restorations of De Sica’s The Gold of Naples (making its American premiere after a world premiere on August 27 at the Venice Film Festival), Lina Wertmüller’s Saturday, Sunday and Monday (in its original TV version, based on De Filippo’s play), and Alessandro Blasetti’s Too Bad She’s Bad, which marked Loren’s first significant role and her first film alongside Mastroianni. The retrospective will also feature two other 4K restorations: Stanley Donen’s Arabesque (1966, with Gregory Peck) and Robert Altman’s Prêt-à-Porter (1994).
Presented by the Academy Museum in partnership with Cinecittà. Programmed and notes by K.J. Relth-Miller, except where noted.
INFORMATION
November 7 -30
📍The Academy Museum
6067 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036