Happening This Month

Tuesday, May 2 |  6 movies

"You must love what you do. I like to work because then I feel alive.” — Gina Lollobrigida 

The Most Beautiful Woman in the World. The Temptress of the Tiber. The Italian Jayne Mansfield. La Lollo. Internationally renowned actress Gina Lollobrigida went by many nicknames. She rose to fame as an Italian sex-symbol during the post-World War II era when Italy was enjoying a cultural boom that transformed it into an epicenter of film, fashion and celebrity. 

Appearing in over 60 films during her acting career, Lollobrigida starred in numerous high-profile productions with some of the top leading men of her day including Rock Hudson, Frank Sinatra, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Louis Jourdan, Burt Lancaster and Humphrey Bogart. She often portrayed fiercely independent women who were both virtuous and in tune with their sexuality. A great comedienne, Lollobrigida was equally at ease in dramas. She starred in Italian, French, English and even Spanish productions, casting a wide net for international stardom. Lollobrigida was one of the top celebrities of her day developing a reputation for being unapologetically herself and for being outspoken about her opinions, even when they stirred up controversy.

Gina Lollobrigida was born July 4th, 1927, in the small village of Subiaco, Italy. She was one of four daughters born to a furniture maker and his wife. Originally interested in fine arts, Lollobrigida had plans to become a sculptor or painter. By her early twenties she had taken an interest in singing and modeling. In 1947, she came in third place in a Miss Italy contest and it was around that time that she began working as an extra on Italian film productions. Her magnetic on-screen presence drew attention and she got her first starring role in the Italian drama Campane a Martello (1949). It wasn’t until the French film Fanfan la Tulipe (1952) that she became an international sensation.

Lollobrigida had been working primarily in British, Italian and French productions until she caught the eye of Hollywood producer Howard Hughes. According to film historian Karina Longworth, “though there was demand for her to come to America and star in Hollywood movies, she couldn’t do it—the contract she had signed with [Howard] Hughes precluded her from working in Hollywood for anyone but him, and she refused to work with him.” 

She was able to get around the restrictions of Hughes’ contract by working on independent American productions with films like Beat the Devil (1953), Trapeze (1956) and Solomon and Sheba (1959) and later Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968). Once able to work with Hollywood studios, Lollobrigida starred in films like Never So Few (1959), Come September (1961) and Strange Bedfellows (1965). Throughout her career, Lollobrigida remained in competition with her Italian super star rival, Sophia Loren, and over the course of their careers both actresses were frequently being offered the same parts.

By the early 1970s, Lollobrigida had mostly retired from acting. She returned with guest parts in 1980s TV shows like Falcon Crest and The Love Boat as well as the occasional Italian film. Lollobrigida returned to her love of the visual arts and became best known for her photography publishing numerous photo collections as well as working as a photojournalist.

Gina Lollobrigida passed away on January 16th, 2023 in Rome, Italy. To celebrate her legacy, TCM will be showing six notable films from her legendary career.

Fanfan la Tulipe (1952)

Much in the vein of Errol Flynn’s swashbucklers, but much spicier, Fanfan la Tulipe was a historical adventure comedy set during the Seven Years War of the mid-18th Century. Directed by Christian-Jaque, the film casts Gina Lollobrigida opposite one of the most beloved French heartthrobs of the day, Gérard Philipe. He plays the title character, a virile ne’er-do-well who escapes an arranged marriage. Lollobrigida plays the fortune-teller who falsely predicts Fanfan’s future marriage to the king’s daughter, only to discover that her prediction may in fact come true. Lollobrigida and Philipe enjoy a will-they-or-won’t-they flirtation against the backdrop of a war that is portrayed lightly with plenty of absurdist humor. Lollobrigida was dubbed by actress Claire Guibert but this didn’t take away from her potency as a leading lady in the film. Fanfan la Tulipe was immensely popular and soon became one of France’s most beloved films. It put Lollobrigida on the map as an up-and-coming sex symbol. A New York Times review noted “Adeline is played by the incendiary Gina Lollobrigida, who wears low-cut Gypsy blouses to great advantage.” Much attention was put on Lollobrigida’s appearance with her diminutive frame, cinched in waist, low cut dresses and her exotic appeal.

Never So Few (1959)

Marketed as her first official Hollywood picture, Never So Few was an MGM war drama directed by John Sturges that cast Lollobrigida opposite one of the biggest celebrities of the era, Frank Sinatra. It boasts a stellar cast of supporting players including Peter Lawford, Steve McQueen, Richard Johnson, Paul Henreid, Brian Donlevy, Charles Bronson and Philip Ahn. Set during WWII, the film follows an American military troop as they take command of guerrillas in Burma (modern day Myanmar). Lollobrigida plays Carla, the glamorous mistress to a wealthy merchant who becomes romantically involved with troop leader Captain Reynolds (Frank Sinatra). Lollobrigida’s character gives the film a romantic subplot adding a bit of melodrama to an otherwise standard war film. MGM had high hopes that the star chemistry between Lollobrigida and Sinatra would drive audiences to the theaters. It was a hit at the box office but the romantic elements drew criticism. The film is best remembered for notable performances from Steve McQueen, George Takei and James Hong who were still early in their acting careers.

Come September (1961)

Gina Lollobrigida’s best-known English-language film is the delightful sex comedy Come September. It’s one of two pictures she made with Rock Hudson who had made a splash a couple of years earlier opposite Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959). Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin, the writing team behind Pillow Talk, also wrote Come September with the same level of mischief and screwball antics. Lollobrigida plays Lisa, a glamorous Italian woman about to marry a stuffy British man. Her paramour, corporate tycoon Robert Talbot (Rock Hudson), comes to his villa in Italy to spend time with Lisa every September. But this year he visits in July catching Lisa and his butler Maurice (Walter Slezak), who is secretly running the Talbot villa as a hotel, by surprise. The film is well-known for its co-stars Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin, who met and fell in love during the film’s production. Come September was Lollobrigida’s biggest box-office hit and cemented her status as a major movie star. It came at a time when films depicting a romantic view of Europe were very popular with American audiences. Both Hudson and Lollobrigida reunited for another sex comedy, Strange Bedfellows (1965) which didn’t fare as well but did capture a bit of the stars’ on-screen chemistry.  Over the years Come September has developed a cult-like status for being one of the most enjoyable comedies of its era.

Woman of Straw (1964) 

Director Basil Dearden’s crime thriller Woman of Straw pairs Gina Lollobrigida with Sean Connery, who had recently come to fame with his role as British secret agent James Bond in Dr. No (1962) and From Russia with Love (1963). Based on the French novel “La femme de paille” by Catherine Arley, the title Woman of Straw is a play on the expression “man of straw” which means to put a person forward as a decoy for questionable or illegal activity. In the film, Lollobrigida plays the nurse to a rich tycoon (Ralph Richardson). She reluctantly schemes with the tycoon’s nephew (Connery) to murder his uncle in order to inherit the family fortune. This was not a typical role for Connery but the allure of a million-dollar payout proved to be too tempting. He received second billing after Lollobrigida, something that angered Connery who was already having a difficult time with the movie. Unfortunately, Lollobrigida and Connery lacked on-screen chemistry and the critics raked this film over the coals. Eugene Archer of The New York Times wrote “try though the script and camera may to convince us that Miss Lollobrigida is the most irresistible of females, she stubbornly remains her placid, matronly self—hardly the type to draw a passing snort from an old lion like Sir Ralph.”

Hotel Paradiso (1966)

Produced by MGM and filmed in Paris, Hotel Paradiso stars Gina Lollobrigida, Alec Guinness, Robert Morley and Peter Glenville in a British comedy of errors in which an observed love triangle inspires a playwright during a terrible bout of writer’s block. Set in turn-of-the-19th century France, Hotel Paradiso is based on the stage play “L'Hôtel du libre échange” which had successful runs on Broadway and London. The film adaptation adds plenty of self-deprecating and absurdist British humor. Lollobrigida had unfortunately gained a reputation for being difficult to work with and she and co-star Alec Guinness barely spoke during the film’s production. This tension is not reflected in the film which proved to be a solid comedy. 

Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968)

Perhaps one of the most underrated of Lollobrigida’s comedies, Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell was a huge hit for United Artists when it came out in 1968. Lollobrigida holds her own against a cast of strong players including Phil Silvers, Peter Lawford, Telly Savalas, Shelley Winters and Lee Grant. Lollobrigida plays the title character, an Italian woman who receives child support from three former paramours to raise her daughter Gia (Janet Margolin). The three men, American GIs who served in Italy during World War II, return for a military reunion and are eager to meet the daughter. The real identity of the father is unknown which causes chaos for Mrs. Campbell who desperately tries to keep this from the three men. Directed by Melvin Frank, who previously worked with Lollobrigida on Strange Bedfellows, Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell was shot on location in Rome and at the famed Cinecittà Studios. The role of Mrs. Campbell fit Lollobrigida’s special talent to play women who remain virtuous despite a complicated sexual past. She went on to win a David di Donatello award, Italy’s answer to the Oscars, for her role. Many have drawn comparisons to Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell and playwright Catherine Johnson’s jukebox musical Mamma Mia! which was later adapted as a film in 2008 starring Meryl Streep in a Mrs. Campbell-like role. After Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell, Lollobrigida went on to make only two more English-language films: Stuntman (1968) and King, Queen, Knave (1972).