On both sides of the Atlantic in the 1950s and '60s,
the cinema thrived on female stars who adorned movies with beauty
and intense sexuality, then gradually attained respect and awards
as serious actresses. A few even became institutions in their
later years, and such has been the outline of Sophia Loren's life
and career. Born and raised in intense wartime poverty in Naples,
Loren began earning a little money in childhood by winning cash
prizes for beauty contests. Groomed for the movies by producer
and future husband Carlo Ponti, she became popular enough abroad
to be wooed by Hollywood. Critics differ in their assessment of
her American years, but Sophia
Loren received some of her due as a performer worthy of an
appreciative, star-making apparatus. It was back in Italy, however,
that the voluptuous Loren did her best work as a mischievous comedian,
sex queen, and dramatic player, winning an Oscar for one of her
terrific collaborations with director Vittorio De Sica, Two Women. Sophia
Loren films include
Two Women
Heller in Pink Tights
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
The Black Orchid
Marriage Italian Style
Our recommendations for the best CD's from the best
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