Monica Vitti: The Italian Muse Who Conquered Global Cinema

Monica Vitti studied dramatic arts at the Accademia Nazionale d’Arte Drammatica in Rome, graduating in 1953. She gained recognition on stage in Sei storie da ricordare (1956) and Capricci di Marianna (1959). Her official film debut came in 1958 with Le dritte, directed by Mario Amendola. In 1957, she joined Michelangelo Antonioni’s Teatro Nuovo di Milano and rose to stardom with a lead role in L’Avventura (1960), praised for her “stunning” performance.

Vitti received further acclaim for starring in Antonioni’s celebrated trilogy: La Notte (1961), L’Eclisse (1962), and Red Desert (Il deserto rosso, 1964). Her only Hollywood appearance was in the spy spoof Modesty Blaise (1966).

In the later years of her career, most of Vitti’s films were Italian productions with limited international release. Notable exceptions include Luis Buñuel’s The Phantom of Liberty (Le Fantôme de la liberté, 1974) and The Mystery of Oberwald (Il mistero di Oberwald, 1980), her reunion with Antonioni after 15 years. In 1989, she wrote, directed, and starred in Secret Scandal (Scandalo Segreto).

In 1993, Monica Vitti was honored with a Festival Tribute at the International Women’s Film Festival of Créteil in France.

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Carla Marinho Leal

Writer, traveler and above all, curious about many subjects. She has studied cinema since 2002 and is a Specialist in Cinematographic Studies from UNICAP. Founder of the blog Purviance and the website Cinemaclássico. She loves Charles Chaplin, Raj Kapoor and constantly browses films from all over the world.

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