European Spice

This is exactly the kind of passion that wasn't typically allowed to be shown in American films so you can bet how happy I was to find that many European films didn't have that restriction. Especially with The Law (1959). This shot shows Yves Montand attempting to seduce Gina Lollobrigida. Well, it doesn't work and she actually cuts him with a knife to get him away from her leaving a scar on his face. It was very entertaining. I was happy to see the woman fight back and successfully defeat the man.

In The Spotlight

                                                        Lena Horne

                                                          Marlene Dietrich

                                                       Judy Garland

                                                         Billie Holliday

                                                           Cab Calloway

Behind The Scenes

The Country Girl (1954) starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and William Holden.

This was the first movie I saw that actually made me really appreciate Grace Kelly. She was wonderful in Rear Window (1954) but she really made an impact on me in her role as a tired, yet devoted wife of alcoholic Bing Crosby in The Country Girl. I had an impression of her as being a prissy WASP type of actress who wouldn't ugly herself up for a role but this film proved me wrong.

Ye Olde Tyme

                                                       Vivien Leigh

                                                     Jean Simmons

                                                        Olivia De Havilland

                                                         Dolores Del Rio

                                                          Kay Francis

                                                      Susannah York

                                                        Raquel Welch

                                                       Vincent Price
          

What a Gal-5

Gina Lollobrigida (b.1927)

I always thought Gina Lollobrigida came off as a snotty, stuck up diva but I was being much too harsh. She may have had some diva-like qualities but she was really a top notch actress. I had seen Trapeze (1956) and Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell(1968) but not much else. I really enjoyed those movies but I just hadn't opened up my eyes to her talent.
I recently watched The Law (1959) which is an Italian film starring Yves Montand, Marcello Mastroianni, Melina Mercouri, and of course Gina Lollobrigida. It was set in a small southern Italian village where Gina plays the town beauty named Marietta. The film features different stories and romances going on between certain characters. It's almost like a soap opera but it's not cheesy or sappy. It just seems like a soap opera because of all of the intertwining stories and some dramatic events that take place. Overall it was a great film to watch and the cast was wonderful. Gina's character is a fiery, adventurous, but good natured woman with a great sense of humor. I also adored Melina Mercouri in the film. My opinion may be biased though because I love Melina in everything she does but she really was great. She was blonde in this film and it was a good look for her though I prefer brunette.
 Anyway back to Gina, she was insanely beautiful and seemed to have been very sweet in real life. She was always being compared to Sophia Loren simply because they were both Italian but Gina was talented in her own right. Later in life she became involved in photojournalism and sculpting. She was very successful in both endeavors, she was even able to get an interview with Fidel Castro for her journalism. I plan on watching many, many more of her films and gaining and even greater appreciation for such and underrated actress.

                                                       Gina and Frank Sinatra in Never So Few (1959)

                                                      The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956)

                                                        Gina and Marcello Mastroianni in The Law (1959)

No need for an explanation

This photo does not need an explanation. It's pretty obvious why it's here.



:)