- Leighan C.
- Friday, December 10, 2021
The recent death of esteemed Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmuller reminded me of how groundbreaking her films were, and how long it had been since I'd watched any of them! The most important films of her oeuvre are available free through Kanopy.
Nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Director (making Lina Wertmuller the first woman to be bestowed the honor), Seven Beauties stars Giancarlo Giannini, the actor with whom Wertmuller worked most often.
Swept Away is Lina Wertmuller's most famous and controversial film about sex, love and politics, starring Giancarlo Giannini.
A blistering satire of Italy in the 1970s, The Seduction of Mimi takes aim at a corrupt government, compromised labor leaders and the sexual politics of men in power, with uproarious results.
Nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Love and Anarchy is a powerful statement on the terror of fascism.
And to gain some background knowledge about the director:
Behind the White Glasses: The Life and Career of Legendary Director Lina Wertmuller (2015)
This documentary offers a deep dive into the ground breaking life and career of Lina Wertmuller. Included are interviews with many of the artists with whom she worked such as Sophia Loren, Martin Scorsese, and Harvey Keitel.