Sophia Loren This Month

[moira finnie]

Our friend filmlover posted this interview with Sophia Loren. from the LA Times on TCM's hectic boards. It's well worth adding in its entirety to our discussion too.:

Turner Classic Movies series honors Sophia Loren

'They did a wonderful job (choosing films),' says the Oscar-winning actress. The channel will show 23 of her best.

By Susan King, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

June 4, 2008

The thing about Clark Gable, said Sophia Loren from her home in Geneva, Switzerland, was his watch. The sex symbol whose film career has spanned nearly six decades worked with the Hollywood icon in the lighthearted 1960 comedy "It Started in Naples."

"He was always looking at the watch when it came to 4 or 4:30 in the afternoon," she said by phone. "Even if we were in the middle of a scene at 5, I could hear the alarm going off and he would leave the set."

"We were flabbergasted. What?" she added. "But he had it in his contract."

"It Started in Naples" is just one of the 23 Loren movies screening Wednesdays this month on Turner Classic Movies. "Naples" screens this evening along with 1954's "Too Bad She's Bad," the classic 1963 comedy "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" and the 1961 comedy "The Millionairess."

Other Loren films featured are her Oscar-winning turn in 1961's "Two Women," the 1958 melodrama "The Key," the 1964 epic "The Fall of the Roman Empire" and 1957's melodrama "Boy on a Dolphin."

"They did a wonderful job choosing films," says the actress, who will be 74 in September. "They are showing films that I did when I was 18 and the impact in America with 'The Pride and the Passion' and the Oscar and so on and on."

In fact, she's still working and is set to star as Guido's ( Daniel Day-Lewis) mother in Rob Marshall's production of the musical "Nine," which is based on Federico Fellini's Oscar-winning classic "8 1/2 ."

"I just want to work in things that really give me emotions," she said. "I think for me as an Italian to be in a musical is the dream of my life. Now I am going to be part of this, which I think is absolutely marvelous. I can't wait to start."

Despite her long career and her Italian background, Loren surprisingly never worked with Fellini.

"Sometimes in movies, it's very difficult to find a story that is good for the director and the actress," Loren said. "I always admired his style, his intelligence. He was also very funny, a great man."

The Italian director with whom Loren is most closely associated is Vittorio De Sica, who guided her to an Oscar in "Two Women."

"He was my father in the profession," said Loren. "He really taught me everything because I started with him in 1954's 'The Gold of Naples' and I worked with him, I think, 20 years. Marcello Mastroianni and I did about 14 films with him."

In De Sica, she found the right person at the right time, she said.

"We came from the same city, Naples. We understood each other with a look and a gesture. I was like a member of the family. He could make me do anything he wanted. He knew my character. It was just like we were one person."

Ironically, Loren wasn't supposed to play the mother in "Two Women," a harrowing drama about a widowed shopkeeper and her religious teenage daughter who flee Rome after an Allied bombing raid.

De Sica and Loren's husband, producer Carlo Ponti, wanted Loren to play the daughter and the Oscar-winning powerhouse Anna Magnani to play the mother. But Magnani refused.

"She said, 'We have two strong characters, and we are going to eat each other up on the screen,' " Loren said. " 'If Sophia is in the film, I am not going to be the mother.' De Sica was very upset. But she left De Sica with this phrase: 'Why don't you let Sophia play the mother?' "

The director liked Magnani's suggestion. "He wrote me a telegram," she recalled. "I was in Paris. He said, 'You are going to play the mother and your daughter is going to be 14 years old. I thought I was going to die. I was 25 years old."

The film's most haunting sequence -- the aftermath of the two women's rape by soldiers -- was shot in just one take. "De Sica said 'Take. Print.' I said, 'No. Let's do it again.' He said, 'No. If something goes wrong with the negative we will do it again. But it's beautiful.' "

Loren, now a grandmother, has a full life with her grandchildren and her sons Carlo and Edoardo. "I always feel like I am a kid. I want to discover things. I am very curious."

But Loren confesses she's still in deep mourning over the death of her husband early last year. "I met him when I was 15 years old. Can you imagine? A lifetime. When I was with him, I had always in front of me not a person but the entire world."

Can't wait to see her in Nine!!

[Ann Harding]

After talking so much about Sophia Loren, I thought I should watch Heller in Pink Tights (1960). I haven't seen this George Cukor picture in years (probably at least 25!).
This is Cukor's only western and it's obviously a very special western dealing with a troupe of actors crossing the wild west to present their plays in small mushroom towns. Angela (S. Loren) is the lead actress and enjoys a close relationship the troupe head Tom Healy (A. Quinn).
The cinematography shows how closely Cukor worked with Hoyningen-Hune to create a real atmosphere in its very tasteful use of colors. A lot of Technicolor film use color for its own sake: saturation. Nothing like that in Cukor pictures, it's all managed like a painter preparing a canvas. I found Loren's English extremely good. She obviously enjoyed working with Cukor (and he did with her as well!) who was a remarkable actors' director. Anthony Quinn is remarkably soft-spoken is this film! Quite amazing for a ham like him... It was a real plaesure to recognise in the supporting cast some very famous figures: a 23-years old Margaret O'Brien, Edmund Lowe and Ramon Novarro. Overall, a very nice picture indeed. I should add that the print is absolutely superb on the DVD.

[srowley75]

I was also disappointed that Marriage, Italian Style wasn't scheduled. There's a nice print available on DVD, but I believe the distributor of that particular version is Russian and it's a R2 (or other region) release.

I have to wonder what the rights issues are with that title. It's been virtually impossible to find a decent quality copy in the US for years - there's a VHS and DVD release both selling on Amazon currently, but the VHS is reportedly terrible quality, and I can personally vouch that the American DVD is abominable (the sound and picture are wretched).

I was happy, however, that the print of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow was a nice one. Given TCM's gaffes as of late (the most famous being the print of Contempt recently broadcast) I was nervous that Yesterday would be broadcast in one of those awful public domain prints, but thankfully that wasn't the case.

-Stephen

[charliechaplinfan]

I've looked at the DVD a few times of Marriage Italian Style but the reviews of the quality of the disc are dire.

Interestingly I saw that Richard Burton and Sophia Loren remade Brief Encounter, that I just can't imagine

[moira finnie]

Interestingly I saw that Richard Burton and Sophia Loren remade Brief Encounter, that I just can't imagine

The remake of Brief Encounter was made near the end of Burton's life and his eyes were never emptier. As I recall, since he was going through a very rough patch in his life at the time, there were, of course, rumors about him and Sophia. Loren as a middle-class housewife who blends into the background was also quite a stretch. Suspending belief is one thing, snapping it with that premise is a bit absurd.

[mrsl]

Between Sophia and Gina Lollabrigida, the 1950's and 1960's donated two of Italy's most beautiful monuments to Hollywood. I had always though Liz Taylor was the most beautiful woman I ever saw until Sophia appeared on screen in Boy on a Dolphin. I read long ago that she did much of Two Women without makeup because it would have been silly to wear it during such a movie. Hard to watch - Yes, most definitely, but so worth it to see her chomp on a part and do it to such perfection. I loved her in It Started in Naples, and Houseboat, but to really appreciate Sophia's talent, you have to see her dramas.

Anne

[charliechaplinfan]

I've never been able to see Sophia's beauty nor Elizabeth Taylor's. I have liked her in the films I've seen her in, which aren't many. The Pride and The Passion and Houseboat. I can see the beauty in Gina Lollabrigida.

Claudia Cardinale has my vote for most beautiful Italian actress.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of Sophia's films soon. Divorce Italian Style and Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

[MissGoddess]

Interestingly I saw that Richard Burton and Sophia Loren remade Brief Encounter, that I just can't imagine

The remake of Brief Encounter was made near the end of Burton's life and his eyes were never emptier. As I recall, since he was going through a very rough patch in his life at the time, there were, of course, rumors about him and Sophia. Loren as a middle-class housewife who blends into the background was also quite a stretch. Suspending belief is one thing, snapping it with that premise is a bit absurd.

That is one of the worst remakes of any film I have ever seen, and it's astonishing for me to have to make that conclusion about a film starring two of my favorite stars.

[Mr. O'Brady]

A very nice review of "Heller in Pink Tights", Ann. After reading a lot of negative reviews of the movie, and not being a fan of westerns, I didn't think I'd like it, but it was indeed a fun little film. Very beautiful cinematography, and great casting (other than Steve Forrest's bizarre laugh). I've been too busy to catch very many of the Loren films since the first night, but I made sure I saw this one.

[charliechaplinfan]

I've recently seen Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. I'm prepared to reevaluate my initial feelings about Loren as an actress, I thought she was very good in this film. My only other experiences of her have been her films with Cary Grant.

How I loved the first tale Adelina. It made me laugh so much. Poor Marcello as the worn out husband

[Gagman 66]

Everyone,

I thought it was a superb month of Sophia Loren movies that just rapped up on TCM. The Star of the Month segment they ran was wonderful! So well produced. Many of these films I had never seen before.

I do wish that TCM could have gotten their hands on A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG (1966). It was the last film that Charles Chaplin Directed, and Sophia Co-Starred with Marlon Brando. I saw the movie many years ago, back in the early 80's, that was the only time I ever saw it anywhere? As I understand Universal own's the picture? Has anyone else here seen this film before???

[charliechaplinfan]

A Countess From Hong Kong has had DVD release here, has it never been released in the USA? It's strange to say that a Chaplin film acted in by Brando and Sophia Loren is not available or shown on TV.

[Gagman 66]

Alison,

It's true! As far as I know, A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG has never been offered on DVD to Us over here in the States?

[charliechaplinfan]

I've got hold of the region 2 version a while ago.

I find it strange that it hasn't had a DVD release in the US when it has the collobaration of Chaplin and Brando. I know it was panned by the critics and Chaplin and Brando's way of working was different but it was still worth acquirring.