Sophia Loren – Moulding the Star - Softcover

Small, Pauline

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1841502340 ISBN 13: 9781841502342

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2009

Synopsis

European stardom is very different from that of Hollywood, where the industry concentrates intensively on establishing and promoting major stars. This unique books sets out to highlight the career of Sophia Loren as a prime example of a highly original rise to fame in a European context. Pauline Small emphasizes that although primarily an Italian star, Loren's career crossed the boundaries of a shifting network of film making ventures that spanned Italy, Hollywood and Europe.Loren was one of the leading figures in the 1950s whose professional achievements, Small argues, were undervalued and to a degree remain so. Using written and visual materials ranging from government archives to academic journals, from the popular press to her major films, "Sophia Loren: Moulding the Star" gives a fuller understanding of the forces, commercial, industrial and cultural, that combined to forge her enduring star status and the cult of a major film personality.

About this title

Product Description:

In films from Houseboat to The Millionairess to Two Women, Sophia Loren established herself as an actress whose stardom spanned Italy, Europe, and finally Hollywood. Hers was a highly original rise to fame for a European film actress, and in Sophia Loren, Pauline Small highlights a unique career which transcended Italian film culture. Sophia Loren is the first book to explore in detail the transfer of Loren's stardom from Italy to Hollywood and the reasons for her American success, particularly during the 1960s. Looking individually at Loren's major films and drawing on rare archival materials in Italy, Small provides a thorough exploration of the commercial and cultural forces that combined to ensure Loren's enduring star status. Perfect for scholars and aficionados of 1960s Italian and American film, Sophia Loren is a fascinating look at one of the major personalities of modern cinema.

Review:

"An antidote to conventional star biographies which explain a star's career in personality terms, Pauline Small's careful research into the realities of a film industry usually described as 'Byzantine' puts Sophia Loren into a much more rounded and interesting context. This book will be immensely valuable for students and teachers of Italian cinema, giving fascinating insights into Italian society and the Italian and Hollywood film industries, and how the star functioned within them. Pauline Small has uncovered a wealth of information, changing our perceptions of Italian popular cinema." - Mary Wood, Professor of European Cinema, University of London

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1841502340
• ISBN 13: 9781841502342
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208