To the pantheon of movies about the vicissitudes of the celebrity world we can add Antonio Pietrangeli's "Io la conoscevo bene" ("I Knew Her Well" in English). Stefania Sandrelli plays a country girl who moves to Rome in the hope of becoming a star, but gets objectified every step of the way. 'Twas always thus, I guess.
The Criterion DVD includes an interview with Sandrelli. In her opinion, the protagonist's suicide ends her life, but begins something else: the full realization that fame will not be the bed of roses that millions imagine. I like to think that if Pietrangeli had lived longer - he drowned in 1968 - he would've expanded on this theme in other movies. Definitely worth seeing. Similar movies are Carl Reiner's 1969 dramedy "The Comic" (starring Dick Van Dyke as a screen comedian whose fame gets the better of him) and John Schlesinger's 1975 drama "The Day of the Locust" (about the ugly side of 1930s Hollywood).
As for the other cast members. Ugo Tognazzi is best known as one of the nightclub owners in "La cage aux folles". Enrico Maria Salerno (Roberto) dubbed Clint Eastwood in the Italian releases of the Dollars trilogy. Franco Nero (Italo) is best known as the original Django, and had a bit part in Quentin Tarantino's version. He is now married to Vanessa Redgrave (their son directed her in an adaption of Wallace Shawn's politically-charged play "The Fever", co-starring Michael Moore and Angelina Jolie).
The Criterion DVD includes an interview with Sandrelli. In her opinion, the protagonist's suicide ends her life, but begins something else: the full realization that fame will not be the bed of roses that millions imagine. I like to think that if Pietrangeli had lived longer - he drowned in 1968 - he would've expanded on this theme in other movies. Definitely worth seeing. Similar movies are Carl Reiner's 1969 dramedy "The Comic" (starring Dick Van Dyke as a screen comedian whose fame gets the better of him) and John Schlesinger's 1975 drama "The Day of the Locust" (about the ugly side of 1930s Hollywood).
As for the other cast members. Ugo Tognazzi is best known as one of the nightclub owners in "La cage aux folles". Enrico Maria Salerno (Roberto) dubbed Clint Eastwood in the Italian releases of the Dollars trilogy. Franco Nero (Italo) is best known as the original Django, and had a bit part in Quentin Tarantino's version. He is now married to Vanessa Redgrave (their son directed her in an adaption of Wallace Shawn's politically-charged play "The Fever", co-starring Michael Moore and Angelina Jolie).