Great idea for a thread, our European classic movie stars deserve some attention to.
One of my favorite actresses, in general, is Sophia Loren. You can put all Hollywood beauties on one side and Sophia on the other, she's in a league of her own! ... and God created Woman sis really about her! With very unique facial features, she was considered an ugly duckling at first but then blossomed into a stunning beauty and looked her best in the late 60s imo. I really think Sophia in More Than a Miracle (1967) is one of the most stunning creatures ever captured on screen! The body, the curves, it's everything all the Kardashian fakes of today want to be!
What a great career, spanning over several decades, in both Italian, French and American movies. She started out very young, in the early 1950s, but was already fully developed, you always felt you were watching a woman in her 30s, so in a way she was able to play women of the same age for 3 decades. There are so many movies I could write about but let me focus on a few of my favorites. From her Hollywood work, I really love
It Started in Naples (1960) where she's paired with Clark Gable. They have great chemistry, the story is cute and fun, the boy is adorable, the Italian setting charming, it's a perfect feel good movie!
She starred with some of the best leading man in Hollywood, in a short period of time.
Houseboat (1958) with Cary Grant is another fun escapade, though they used some terrible make up on her. More serious were
Desire Under The Elms (with Anthony Perkins),
The Black Orchid (with Anthony Quinn) and my personal favorite
The Key, with William Holden, all released in 1958.
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Of course Sophia was cast in all sorts of epic adventure movies that were so popular in late 50s/early 60s. She had that exotic, earthy look that made her perfect for these movies.
The Pride and the Passion (1957) with Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant,
Legend of the Lost (1957) with John Wayne,
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) and the best of these,
El Cid (1961), with Charlton Heston.
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Of course, Sophia was her husband Carlo Ponti's first choice for Lara in Doctor Zhivago but David Lean disagreed. I'm tempted to think about what she could have done with the role. Julie Christie is certainly iconic in it but I can imagine Sophia being equally good, even though she's the opposite of the typical blonde Russian look.
When it comes to Italia movies, this is where Sophia truly shines, from comedy to drama, it was always full of emotions! Her best and most enduring on screen partner was Marcello Mastroianni and together Vittorio De Sica as the director, these 3 created magic.
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963) and
Marriage, Italian Style (1964) are two of my favorite comedies.
They were also great in dramas, like
The Sunflower (1970), the first western film filmed in then Soviet Union, a great story of lovers separated by war which I highly recommend. Another gem is
A Special Day (1977), about a housewife and a gay man who bond during the day when the whole of Rome is out to see Hitler visiting Musollini. It is a masterpiece!
Sophia's Oscar for
Two Women (1960) was more than deserved. A harrowing story of war horrors, it's hard to imagine that initially Sophia was supposed to play the daughter, to Anna Magnani as a the mother.
Honorable mentions -
Arabesque (1966), which is Stanley Donen's attempt at duplicating Charade and the much panned
A Countess from Hong Kong (1967). I just love her hair in these, and I loved them as a child so they stayed in fond memory.
