WTI Magazine #45    2014 October, 15
Author : Giuseppina Salzano e Giovanni Verde      Translation by:

The historical "enemy" of Sofia Loren shares with the latter the ability of being a worldwide and european movies icon of the 1950's and 1960's. Gina Lollobrigida was born in Subiaco, in the Rome province, on July 4, 1927. Her family moves to Rome in the 1944 and enrolls Gina to the Fine Arts Institute. Having only few economic means, the actress, to support herself while studying, sells charcoaled caricatures.

The ability of managing herself and directing her own image will accompany Gina Lollobrigida during all her career. In most cases she will make herself up and design her own elegant clothes.

In 1950 she is personally invited by the businessman and director Howard Hughes, made famous by Martin Scorsese's movie "The Aviator". After a while, the Italian actress decides to leave the USA and to come back to Rome, when she realizes not to be to make a decision about her career in the USA.

In 1653 she performs with Vittorio de Sica in "Pane, Amore e Fantasia" (Bread, love and fantasy), winning the Nastro d'argento, candidate for BAFTA and Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. During those years "Lollo", as she is nicknamed by the press, gains popularity and starts to compete against Sofia Loren.

Oother international collaborations come along, like "Il tesoro dell'Africa" (Beat the devil) with Humphrey Bogart and "La donna più bella del mondo" (Beautiful but dangerous) with Vittorio Gassman, a movie that leads her to win David di Donatello as best female actress.

In 1956, she is Esmeralda in "Il gbbo di Notre Dame" (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) with Anthony Quinn. She then wins another David di Donatello award in 1961 acting as Pauline Bonaparte in "Venere Imperiale" (Imperial Venus). In 1968, thanks to her performance in Melivin Frank's "Buonasera, Mr Campbell", she receives a nomination for a Golden Globe as best actress in a comedy movie or musical, but she loses to Barbra Streisand in "Funny Girl".

Gina Lollobrigida has also been a photographer and a sculptress. In 1967 magazines as Life and Time Magazine commission her to produce a book about Italy. In order to be successful in taking pictures undisturbed, Gina wonders around Italy disguised as an odd and original tourist for two and half years. Vittorio de Sica changes the name of the photographic book "La mia Italia" to a more poetical one "Italia Mia": she publishes the book by herself. The book sells almost thirty thousands copies and it is translated into many languages. In 1973 it wins Nadar International Award for best photographic book of the year.

Gina has also modeled over sixty sculptures, some of which in marble. She has followed all the phases in the studios and foundries of Pietrasanta: from the idea, to the preparation, to the clay modelling and wax finishing touches, to the bronze casting. She has personally worked on the finishing of the most delicate parts, up to the gilding of many of her sculptures, based on some of the characters she has portrayed in her movies.

Multifaceted woman and complete and restless artist, Gina Lollobrigida still represents nowadays, at the age of 87, one of the most extraordinary icon of Italian sensuality in the world. This judgment can limit somehow her wide and complex talent, but that will be completely outlined by Humphrey Bogart's quote: "Gina Lollobrigida is the girl who makes Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple".