Portrait of Gina
Encyclopedia
Portrait of Gina, or Viva Italia is a 1958 documentary film
by Orson Welles
. It was funded by ABC TV
. Around 30 minutes long, it follows a similar style to F for Fake
and The Fountain of Youth.
It was intended to be the first of a series called "Around the World with Orson Welles", which is also the name of a series Welles made for the BBC
in 1956. The film is about Italy, where Welles's third wife, Paola Mori, was from, and where Welles lived and worked for about 20 years (roughly 1950-1970). The picture discusses both negative and positive aspects of Italian culture. Actress Gina Lollabrigida, who is interviewed at the end of the film, has refused to allow the public release of the film. Vittorio De Sica
, Rozzano Brazzi, Anna Gruber and Welles' wife, Paola Mori, are also briefly interviewed, and the film moves along at a rapid speed: it is cut 'quick on the eye' in the style of Welles's film-making.
When Welles submitted the film to ABC, they complained that they only received one reel of un-showable material, and it was never broadcast. It seems it was the style which ABC objected to. Around the same time Welles made another TV program on Alexandre Dumas, père
. It too was rejected as being incompetent, and The Fountain of Youth met a similar fate.
In the late 1950s, Welles left the only copy of Viva Italia in his hotel room at the Hôtel Ritz
in Paris. The film cans were unmarked, and ended up in the hotel's lost-and-found department and were eventually moved to a storage facility. The film was thought to be permanently lost until it was discovered in 1986. It was at that point that it was finally given a public showing at an Italian film festival, which is where Lollabrigida saw it and took legal recourse
to have it banned, which it remains to this day.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
. It was funded by ABC TV
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. Around 30 minutes long, it follows a similar style to F for Fake
F for Fake
F for Fake is the last major film completed by Orson Welles, who directed, co-wrote, and starred in the film. Initially released in 1974, it focuses on Elmyr de Hory's recounting of his career as a professional art forger; de Hory's story serves as the backdrop for a fast-paced, meandering...
and The Fountain of Youth.
It was intended to be the first of a series called "Around the World with Orson Welles", which is also the name of a series Welles made for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1956. The film is about Italy, where Welles's third wife, Paola Mori, was from, and where Welles lived and worked for about 20 years (roughly 1950-1970). The picture discusses both negative and positive aspects of Italian culture. Actress Gina Lollabrigida, who is interviewed at the end of the film, has refused to allow the public release of the film. Vittorio De Sica
Vittorio de Sica
Vittorio De Sica was an Italian director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement....
, Rozzano Brazzi, Anna Gruber and Welles' wife, Paola Mori, are also briefly interviewed, and the film moves along at a rapid speed: it is cut 'quick on the eye' in the style of Welles's film-making.
When Welles submitted the film to ABC, they complained that they only received one reel of un-showable material, and it was never broadcast. It seems it was the style which ABC objected to. Around the same time Welles made another TV program on Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
. It too was rejected as being incompetent, and The Fountain of Youth met a similar fate.
In the late 1950s, Welles left the only copy of Viva Italia in his hotel room at the Hôtel Ritz
Hôtel Ritz Paris
The Hôtel Ritz is a grand palatial hotel in the heart of Paris, the 1st arrondissement. It overlooks the octagonal border of the Place Vendôme at number 15...
in Paris. The film cans were unmarked, and ended up in the hotel's lost-and-found department and were eventually moved to a storage facility. The film was thought to be permanently lost until it was discovered in 1986. It was at that point that it was finally given a public showing at an Italian film festival, which is where Lollabrigida saw it and took legal recourse
Legal recourse
A legal recourse is an action that can be taken by an individual or a corporation to attempt to remedy a legal difficulty.* A lawsuit if the issue is a matter of civil law* Many contracts require mediation or arbitration before a dispute can go to court...
to have it banned, which it remains to this day.