The Academy Museum Celebrates Sophia Loren: 90 Years of an Icon

Best wishes to Sophia Loren, who will turn 90 on September 20th. Her birthday celebration is being organized by the world’s most prestigious film institution, the Academy of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. From November 7 to 30 its Museum will host a retrospective of her films, organized by Cinecittà. The day before, the Italian Cultural Institute will inaugurate a photo exhibition on the Italian diva who enchanted Hollywood. The celebrations will conclude in Santa Monica with a concert by tenor Pasquale Esposito, conducted by Maestro Carlo Ponti, the eldest son of the actress and producer Carlo Ponti.

“By showcasing the gallery of characters that Loren has immortalized, we present to the public the universal talent of a professional with an incredible artistic versatility, capable of masterfully handling various genres, from wartime drama to sophisticated comedy,” says Cinecittà President Chiara Sbarigia in a statement. Sophia Loren: La Diva di Napoli 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 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.

On November 7 and 8, the actress herself will introduce the films, along with Edoardo and Sbarigia, who emphasizes, “This film series dedicated to one of the greatest divas in cinema history is the third event born from the collaboration signed in 2019 between Cinecittà and the Academy Museum, which has already paid tribute to Pier Paolo Pasolini and Ennio Morricone.” 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 show two other 4K restorations: Stanley Donen’s Arabesque (1966, with Gregory Peck) and Robert Altman’s Prêt-à-Porter (1994).

Source:  Academy Museum