"She
reminds me with great longing
for the pleasure of my youth." – Marcello Mastroianni
 La bella Mugnaia Italian poster  La bella mugnaia / Mastroianni Photo: Pierluigi Praturlon 05/55  Photo: Paul Ronald 09/55  Opening night Photo: Giancolombo 25/08/55  La fortuna di essere donna Italian poster  Italian
Cinema Showcase
Stockholm 04/12/55  Pane, amore e... Off stage Photo: David Seymour 07/55  Photo session Fiumicino Photo: Federico Patellani 03/55  Cipriani Hotel balcony Venice Photo: Graziano Arici 25/08/55  Mambo Rehearsal / L. Coleman Rome 06/55  Ray-o-Vac Iranian publicity  Mercedes 300SL Rome Photo: Federico Patellani  Hotel Martinez Cannes Film Festival Photo: Pierre Manciet 27/04/55  Palazzo Colonna Rome  Epoca (Italy) 16/01/55  St. Peter's Square Vatican 31/10/55  Il labirinto Rome 23/11/55  Portofino Photo: Francesco Leoni 04/55  Pane, amore e... photocall Sorrento 06/55 |
 Il segno di Venere Italy, November 1954 - January 1955 La bella mugnaia Italy, May- June Pane, amore e... Italy, July - August La fortuna di essere donna Italy, September - October FILM PROJECTS The Baker's Wife Film which was to be directed by Vittorio De Sica with co-star Folco Lulli. Re Ferdinando Project of a film with De Sica as director. La chiromante Project of a film with De Sica as director. MOVIE PREMIERES
ITALY
Il segno di Venere March 12 La bella mugnaia October 27 Pane, amore e... December 22 La fortuna di essere donna December 30 FRANCE Il segno di Venere Cannes, May (Le signe de Vénus) L'oro di Napoli Cannes, April 30 (L'or de Naples) Peccato che sia una canaglia Paris, June 22 (Dommage que ce soit une canaille) Tempi nostri Paris, November 2 (Quelques pas dans la vie) La donna del fiume Paris, November 11 (La fille du fleuve) Due notti con Cleopatra Paris, December 16 (Deux nuits avec Cléopâtre) Attila December 30 (Attila fléau de Dieu) WEST GERMANY Attila April 1 (Attila: Die Geissel Gottes) La donna del fiume October 21 (Die Frau vom Fluss) L'oro di Napoli December 2 (Das Gold von Neapel) Peccato che sia una canaglia December 20 (Schade, daß du eine Kanaille bist) SPAIN Peccato che sia una canaglia San Sebastian Festival, September Madrid callao October 31 (La ladrona, su padre y el taxista) USA Peccato che sia una canaglia New York City (Bijou), December 24 (Too Bad She's Bad) AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Outstanding Screen Personality
(Italy)
Italian Newspaper Guild, Rome, January 15 Chlorodont
Lux First publicities featuring Sophia for the soap that was then known as "the beauty soap of film stars". Sophia's endorsement for the brand spans over a 25-year period. More than 400 celebrities have marketed the soap since its creation in 1925. Miss Italia Having participated in the contest in the past, Sophia lends her name to the 1955 edition of the Miss Italia contest in a publicity to find new contestants. Ray-o-Vac Publicity in Iranian magazines based on La donna del fiume pictures for American battery brand. NSU Quickly Publicity for German manufacturer which makes the most popular moped of its time. Jules Gerzón Various publicities in Spain including match boxes. MAGAZINE COVERS
Italy Acque Torbide, Alta Tensione, Antena, Azeta, Bolero Film, Il Campione, Cinema Nuovo, L'Eco della Canzone, Epoca, Estasi, L'Europeo, Festival, Film d'Oggi, Marc'Aurelio, Mascotte, Novelle Film, Le Ore, Parata di Stelle, Radiocorriere, I Romanzi di Sogno, Rosso e Nero, Selezione Umoristica, La Settimana Incom Illustrata, Settimana Radio, Settimo Giorno, Sorrisi e Canzoni, Tempo, Tutti, Vie Nuove, Visioni e  e West Germany Deutsche Illustrierte, Film-Echo, Funk Uhr, Quick, Revue, Der Spiegel, Stern, Wochenend e e France Ciné Révélation, Cinémonde, Festival, Les Folies de Paris et de Hollywood, Frou-Frou, Jours de France, Paris Match, Point de Vue, Radio Cinéma Télévision, Semaine du Monde, Télé Ciné Spain Cine Mundo, Fotogramas, Hola e e UK Films Illustrated, Picture Post, Picturegoer, 66 e e USA Cue, Life, National Police Gazette, Newsweek, Quick, Sunday Mirror Magazine e e LATIN AMERICA Antena, Cine Radio Actualidad, Manchete, Singra PUBLIC APPEARANCES
Gran Gala del Cinema - January 15 Sophia attends the Gran Gala del Cinema in Rome organized by the Italian Newspaper Guild. She receives an award for Outstanding Screen Personality, which places her in the "big four" of Italian cinema, along with Gina Lollobrigida, Anna Magnani and Silvana Mangano, who received the same prize in previous years. Munich's Fasching - February 11 Sophia arrives in Munich to attend the Carnival festivities, including the Qui-Qua-Quu party at the Haus der Kunst, sponsored by German magazine Quick. She is greeted at the railroad station upon her arrival by a crowd of film fans. Cannes Film Festival - April Sophia
arrives in
Nice with Vittorio De Sica and her mother Romilda
on April 26 and stays at Hôtel Martinez on La Croisette, facing
the Mediterranean Sea. Screening
of L'oro di Napoli and Il
segno di Venere. Showing one of the most
décolleté creations of her
low-necklined career Sophia is said to be the most often snapped beauty
of the
1955 festival. She is the rising star
of the festival and becomes the icon of Italian cinema. Festival dates:
April 26 through May 10.
L'oro di Napoli Press Conference - April 26 Vittorio gives a press
conference in Cannes for his new film L'oro
di Napoli with both Sophia
and Silvana Mangano present in the room. Suddenly Sophia joins De Sica
on stage attracting everybody's attention and leaving the other star
behind. When Sophia leaves the room the press conference is over as all
reporters follow the year's revelation in Cannes.
Watch
the videoBologna Shoe Fair - Sophia is a special guest along with Raf Vallone at the 1955 Shoe Fair in Bologna. Miss Cinema Roma - July 29 Sophia makes an appearance at the Miss Cinema Roma contest at the Belvedere delle Rose restaurant in Rome where she dances with actor Falco Lulli. This year's winner is Giorgia Moll. Venice Film Festival - August 25-26 First-time guest at the world's oldest film festival. In the best publicity-seeking tradition, Sophia arrives 85 minutes late and touches off a near riot in the crowd of 2,000 persons outside the Palazzo del Cinema. The Festival committee delays the opening half an hour waiting for her, but the film is underway when Sophia arrives. Nevertheless, the opening night of the festival is referred to as the 'Sophia Loren Festival' by many magazines. While showing her cooking talents at the Excelsior Lido Hotel earlier during the day, Sophia gets so much attention in the kitchen that service stops with three ambassadors from Russian, Japan and the USA sitting at their tables waiting to be served. Memorable photo session by Graziano Arici with Sophia wearing the creations of Emilio Schuberth. Sophia stays at Cipriani Hotel during her visit in Venice. Fiat manufacturing plant - September 16 Sophia pays a visit to the Fiat Mirafiori plant in Turin during the course of her promotional visits throughout Italy and Europe. La Fortuna di essere donna Press Conference - September 29 Press conference and kick-off party at Cinecittà studios with cast members Charles Boyer and Marcello Mastroianni. Chianciano Literary Prize - October Sophia is the special guest to hand the Chianciano literary prize to poet Elpidio Jenco for his book La Vigna rossa. Vatican City - October 31 Pope Pius XII receives Sophia and 1,500 stars at the Vatican. Sophia wears a black high-necked dressed she had especially made for the event. Pictures of the actual encounter with the pontiff were seized and never published. Sophia in San Vittorio Prison A great publicity campaign engineered by Basilio Franchina is launched for Peccato che sia una canaglia. Sophia even goes to the San Vittorio prison in Milan to hand out gift packages to the prisoners. The good deed is also seen by some newspapers as a scam to promote Sophia's career. Italian Cinema Showcase - December 5 Actresses Lea Massari, Silvana Pampanini and Sophia go on a tour to the Scandinavian countries. As Sophia alights from the Copenhagen train on December 5, she is mobbed by 500 Swedes at the Stockholm train station. She weeps but it is not known whether it is from emotion stemming from the violent welcome or the shock of seeing 500 Swedes rush at her. Films released in Scandinavia during the year: Tempi nostri, La donna del fiume and Carosello Napoletano. No Show in Oslo - December 9 In Oslo, Sophia is to be a benefit's big attraction held to send the Norwegian team to the Olympics except that she does not show up. Sophia says she was not told about the date and Basilio Franchina says she was exhausted and went to sleep. Several thousand Norwegians feel cheated and the case is even discussed in the Italian Parliament. Sophia makes amends a month later at the Winter Olympics with a visit at the Norwegian team hotel. Pane, Amore e... Avant Premiere... - December 19 Pre-release screening of the film at Hotel Open Gate in Proiano on the Amalfi Coast, with Sophia accompanied by Vittorio De Sica and guests Lea Padovani and Maria Mercader. Zio Vania Performance - December 21 Sophia attends at the Eliseo dell'Opera in Rome the premiere of Luchino Visconti's production Zio Vania which stars Marcello Mastroianni, Paolo Stoppa and Eleonora Rossi Drago. Christmas Gifts to the Poor - December 23 Sophia hands out gifts from Titanus studios in company of Rome's mayor, Salvatore Rebecchini, to poor children. TV AND RADIO SHOWS
La storia di Sofia - January 6 TV special on Italian network. Following the broadcast pictures of Sophia start to appear frequently in the most diverse publications. Motivo in Maschera - February 28 Guest on Italian quiz show hosted by Mike Bongiorno. Occhio Magico - March 3 Guest on Italian quiz show. Il
labirinto - November 23
Italian radio quiz for which Sophia is hired to play the role of Arianna for the whole season, but after just one episode she decides to withdraw and is replaced by Isa Bellini. EDITOR'S NOTES
San Remo Festival - January 27-29
Sophia is invited to the San Remo Festival to be part of the jury and perform Mambo Macan but her busy schedule does not allow her to leave Rome. The Hand of Faith - February 13 Sophia cancels a flight to Brussels and her place is taken by actress Sophia's Statue - March A seven-meter high statue sculpted by Bulgarian-born Assen Peikov in his via Margutta atelier, Rome, is erected on the Fiumicino beach. Katherine Dunham Troup - June While rehearsing for the film Pane, amore e... Sophia learns modern terpsichore with Leo Coleman at the same time she starts a severe diet in order to lose some extra kilos. Lawsuit in Rome - June 14 Maria Scicolone, Sophia's sister, files a slander suit in Rome to defend her right to keep the name of her natural father. The defendant is Nina Rivolta, current wife of father Scicolone, who charged that Maria is not really Scicolone's daughter and should not use his name. The trial takes place in Milan on July 9 and Maria wins her case. Sophia's press agent
Enter
Basilio Franchina in the career of Sophia with the
objective, under
Ponti’s
direction, to make her a new Pygmalion. Franchina will become
over the years Sophia's most important confident.
Sophia's First Mercedes
Sophia replaces her old sedan with a new, showy car, a Mercedes 300SL, shaped like a torpedo. House in Piazza del Campigoglio
Sophia moves in a huge twelve-room apartment in the grandiose Palazzo Colonna, on Via Aracoeli, which overlooks the Michelangelo-designed Piazza del Campidoglio. Ponti has his business office on the first floor and the third floor is the home of Romilda and Maria. Wanda Capodaglio (Asti, 1889 - 1980) Sophia learns the good manners and the fine art of answering questions to journalists with the help of former silent-film star Wanda Capodaglio starting at the time La fortuna di essere donna is filmed. One can actually notice in the film that Sophia is putting into practice what she is learning. Signing for The Pride and the Passion - December Stanley Kramer flies to Rome and takes Sophia to dinner. He decides she is the ideal actress to star next to Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant in The Pride and the Passion. Newspapers confirm a MGM deal on December 28. Sophia's Income in 1955 Sophia declares an income of $13,000 to the Italian taxman while the government estimates her income at $42,000. Industry sources, on the other hand, believe her earnings are probably around $700,000. Carlo Ponti Vidor's War and Peace, Ulisse by Camerini as well as La bella mugnaia - also by Camerini - are among the six films produced by Ponti-De Laurentiis Cinematografica in 1955. The press announces in November that "Italy's leading film producing team splits up" after five years of collaboration between Carlo Ponti and Dino De Laurentiis, over a battle of casting the stellar role in a movie about Indochina. Loren is Ponti's protégée and Silvana Mangano De Laurentiis' wife.
|
 Lux Soaps Italian Publicity  Rome-Stockholm train Photo: Kary Lash 04/12//55  Visiting Karl-Erik Hagström Stockholm 05/12/55  Visiting Alfred Maurstadt Oslo Photo: Erik Thorberg 06/12/55  Life (USA) Cover: James Whitmore 22/08/55  Encounter of the Century Lollobrigida / Loren Cartoon: Federico Garretto  Miss Italia Publicity poster  Il segno di Venere Photo: G.B. Poletto 01/55  Lux Soaps Italian publicity  Le Ore (Italy) 20/08/55  Visiting Fiat plant Turin 22/09/55  L'oro di Napoli Premiere Cannes Film Festival Photo: Edward Quinn 30/04/55  Italian Cinema Showcase Loren / Pampanini / Massari 05/12/55  La fortuna di essere donna Lunch hour 10/55  Posing with Nino Farina Rome 09/55  Ferragamo shoe store Rome 02/55  Gran Gala del Cinema Rome Photo: Giuseppe Palmas 15/01/55  Pane, amore e... Photo: James Whitmore 07/55 |
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