Valentina Cortese, an Italian actress who held the extremely rare distinction of having been nominated for best supporting actress for her work in a foreign film, Francois Truffaut’s 1973 classic “Day for Night,” has died, according to Italian news agency Ansa. She was 96.
In Truffaut’s “Day for Night,” considered by many to be the best movie about making movies ever made, Cortese played, in the words of Roger Ebert, “the alcoholic diva past her prime.” The New York Times said: “The performances are superb. Miss Cortese and Miss Bisset are not only both hugely funny but also hugely affecting, in moments that creep up on you without warning.”
For a two-part, Carlo Ponti-produced 1948 film adaptation of “Les Miserables,” Cortese caused a sensation by playing both female leads, Fantine and Cosette. (The film was otherwise an adequate treatment of the Victor Hugo novel.)
“With Valentina Cortese’s passing, the...
In Truffaut’s “Day for Night,” considered by many to be the best movie about making movies ever made, Cortese played, in the words of Roger Ebert, “the alcoholic diva past her prime.” The New York Times said: “The performances are superb. Miss Cortese and Miss Bisset are not only both hugely funny but also hugely affecting, in moments that creep up on you without warning.”
For a two-part, Carlo Ponti-produced 1948 film adaptation of “Les Miserables,” Cortese caused a sensation by playing both female leads, Fantine and Cosette. (The film was otherwise an adequate treatment of the Victor Hugo novel.)
“With Valentina Cortese’s passing, the...
- 7/10/2019
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
ROME -- Producer Carlo Ponti, one of the forces behind Italy's post-war film renaissance and the long-time husband of Italian film legend Sophia Loren, died early Wednesday at the age of 94.
Ponti produced more than 100 films during a career that spanned nearly 60 years. Among his most famous productions were David Lean's Doctor Zhivago(1965), Federico Fellini's La Strada (1954) and Vittorio De Sica's 1960 classic La Ciociara (Two Women), for which Loren won the 1962 Oscar for best actress.
"His was a life dedicated to cinema," Loren and her two sons, Carlo and Edoardo, said in a statement. "Surrounded by the love of his family, Carlo Ponti passed away serenely at the age of 94 during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva's hospital."
Ponti, who had been in relatively good health until December, had been admitted to the Geneva hospital on New Year's Eve for lung problems.
Ponti got his start in the industry distributing films in Milan during World War II. He produced a few small films during the war and immediately afterward, but began to make a name for himself with director Riccardo Freda's 1948 production of Les Miserables.
Ponti met Loren, named Sophia Villani Scicolone at the time, during a beauty contest in Naples in the 1950s and persuaded her to change her name to Sophia Loren and begin studying acting and English. They were married in 1957.
In 1956, La Strada, which he co-produced, won the Academy Award for best foreign film, as did Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow in 1964.
But it was his affair with the young ingenue Loren that captivated the public, rather than his work with top filmmakers such as Dino De Laurentiis, Federico Fellini, Jean-Luc Godard, Peter Ustinov, David Lean and Roman Polanski.
"I have done everything for love of Sophia," he said in a newspaper interview shortly before his 90th birthday in 2002.
Ponti produced more than 100 films during a career that spanned nearly 60 years. Among his most famous productions were David Lean's Doctor Zhivago(1965), Federico Fellini's La Strada (1954) and Vittorio De Sica's 1960 classic La Ciociara (Two Women), for which Loren won the 1962 Oscar for best actress.
"His was a life dedicated to cinema," Loren and her two sons, Carlo and Edoardo, said in a statement. "Surrounded by the love of his family, Carlo Ponti passed away serenely at the age of 94 during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva's hospital."
Ponti, who had been in relatively good health until December, had been admitted to the Geneva hospital on New Year's Eve for lung problems.
Ponti got his start in the industry distributing films in Milan during World War II. He produced a few small films during the war and immediately afterward, but began to make a name for himself with director Riccardo Freda's 1948 production of Les Miserables.
Ponti met Loren, named Sophia Villani Scicolone at the time, during a beauty contest in Naples in the 1950s and persuaded her to change her name to Sophia Loren and begin studying acting and English. They were married in 1957.
In 1956, La Strada, which he co-produced, won the Academy Award for best foreign film, as did Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow in 1964.
But it was his affair with the young ingenue Loren that captivated the public, rather than his work with top filmmakers such as Dino De Laurentiis, Federico Fellini, Jean-Luc Godard, Peter Ustinov, David Lean and Roman Polanski.
"I have done everything for love of Sophia," he said in a newspaper interview shortly before his 90th birthday in 2002.
- 1/10/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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