In 2016, my wonderful cousin and I went to a Los Angeles htoel to meet a couple of visiting friends and go out to dinner. At the hotel, we turned a corner and unexpectedly found ourselves up close to Oscar-winning screen great, Sophia Loren. Our jaws nearly dropped down to our shoes. When she smiled at us, we felt as though we'd entered the gates of Heaven, greeted with music from an angel choir. She was tall, regal, radiant and gorgeous
I write a lot about how we Black lovers of films, classic and new, domestic and foreign, were long excluded from the conversations of films on television. The way we were presented and approached by white entertainment journalists (and their producers), you would have thought that Black folks only went to see Blaxploitation movies.
My father was a postal clerk. My mother was a registered nurse. Our family lived in South Central Los Angeles, near Compton. I was blessed to have parents who loved movies. My favorite family pastime was when we went to the drive-in movies on a weekend. We went to the drive-in movies frequently. Those nights were like Christmas Day to me. Always a double feature with a cartoon and coming attractions.
On one of those nights, I was a little boy. My sister and I, as usual, were in the backseat of the family car wearing our pajamas under our street clothes. We'd get home around or after midnight and that made it easier for Mom and Dad to get us ready for bed.
We were at the drive-in. I was totally delighted by the sound of Mom and Dad howling with laughter in the front seat at a scene in a foreign film -- YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW directed by Vittorio De Sica. The scene? Sophia's character was doing an afternoon striptease for a man giddy with glee and played by Marcello Mastroianni. For a little taste of the foreign film, click onto the link below:
I loved that night, the parents' laughter and the sight of Sophia Loren. Wow! When I grew up, I rented the VHS of that De Sica film several times from my local video store. To me, De Sica films like that oe could have been shot with a Black cast in my hometown. His memorable characters -- their personalities, the wits, their passions, their perseverance and their environment -- always reminded me of my family and our neighbors in South Central L.A.
If you get Netflix, I've got a recommendation for you. This slightly quirky and totally warm-hearted feature runs only 30 minutes. An Italian-American grandmother in New Jersey give us an on-camera fan letter to La Loren. She tells us how much she loves the screen legend and how certain performances the actress gave have helped her get through some emotionally rough times. It's called WHAT WOULD SOPHIA LOREN DO? Here's a trailer.
Sophia Loren. Molto Bella! I love her so very, very much.
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