Carlo Ponti is a movie producer from Italy, husband of Sophia Loren. Three times awarded the David di Donatello Prize in the Best Producer nomination.
Biography
Ponti Carlo was born on December 11, 1912 in the Italian province of Milan (Provincia di Milano) in the city of Magenta. After graduating from school, he entered the University of Milan (Universita degli Studi di Milano or Statale di Milano) at the Faculty of Law. Studen himself earned his tuition, helping his father in his advocacy. In 1934, Ponti received a bachelor’s diploma and officially began working as an assistant to his father, where he first encountered film company contracts.
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Even while working in the office, a young man learned to understand that you can earn big money only by indulging human weaknesses. Having a strong craving for fame, fame and fortune, he found for himself that niche in which you can fully realize your ambitions and make good money.
Since the early 1940s, Carlo began to engage in his own film production.
Beginning of a creative career
In 1941, Ponti began to collaborate with the company for the production of films "Lux Film" ("'Lux Film"), creating several films with comedian Toto (Toto).
In the same year, he became the producer of the drama "Little Old World" ("Piccolo Mondo Antico"), directed by Mario Soldati (Mario Solda). The central image of the humble daughter of the clerk Louise was performed by Italian Alida Valli. The plot tells about the tragic love of Louise and her husband Franco, developing against the backdrop of the liberation movement of Risorgimento (il risorgimento) in Italy. The tape received the main award "Golden Lion" (Leone d'Oro) at the Venice Film Festival (Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica) in 1941 for Best Actress.
In 1943, Carlo Ponti became the producer of the film "Giacomo idealist" ("Giacomo l'idealista"). The director of the picture is Alberto Lattuada.
When the war of 1939-1945 ended, the producer joined the Lux Film company and released over ten full-length films over the course of five years.
In 1950, Carlo Ponti and Italian-American film producer Dino De Laurentiis set up their own film company, Ponti-De Laurentiis company, which lasted more than six years. During this time, partners produced more than 20 films, including:
- "Europe 51" ("Europa '51") Roberto Rossellini (Roberto Rossellini), 1952;
- “Gold of Naples” (“L'oro di Napoli”) Vittorio De Sica (Vittorio De Sica), 1954;
- “The Road” (“La strada”) Federico Fellini (Federico Fellini), 1954. The tape was awarded the "Golden Lion" at the Venice Film Festival in 1954 and the Academy Award "Oscar" in 1957;
- The film company's latest work was the 1956 melodrama War and Peace, which featured Audrey Hepburn and Jaynes Fonda.
In France
After the company of the two partners ceased operations, Carlo Ponti moved to live in France. Here he becomes a producer of films directed by Vittorio De Sica, nominated for an Oscar: in 1960, Chochara (La ciociara), in 1963 Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (Ieri, oggi, domani )
The American Golden Globe Award was awarded to the 1964 painting, Italian Marriage (Matrimonio all'italiana).
All three films featured the then-famous Italian actress, protégé, and Ponti's wife, Sophia Loren.
In the 1960s in France there is a new direction in cinema - the French new wave (Nouvelle Vague). The directors abandoned the old shooting styles, conducted their own experiments and used radical techniques to create their films. Ponty took an active part in supporting the New Wave. He becomes the producer of films:
- The comedy musical "Woman is Woman" ("Une femme est un femme") by Jean-Luc Godard (Jean-Luc Godard), in 1961. At the Berlin Film Festival (Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), the tape won two Silberner Bar awards at once - for the best female role played by Anna Karina and a special award for best directing.
- The melodrama “Cleo from 5 to 7” (“Cleo de 5 a 7”) by Arlette Varda in 1961.
- The crime melodrama “Eye of the Evil” (“L'oeil du malin”) directed by Claude Chabrol (Claude Chabrol) in 1962.
- In 1962, Carlo collaborated with Luchino Visconti on the painting Boccaccio 70 (Boccaccio '70).
Enormous triumph and incredible fame brought Ponti work on the reconstruction of the work of Boris Pasternak, which belonged to the master of world cinema David Lean (David Lean) and was called "Doctor Zhivago" ("Doctor Zhivago") in 1965.
The film received 21 awards at film festivals, including 5 Oscars, 5 Golden Globes, three David Di Donatello Prizes (Ente David di Donatello) and others. At the international box office, the tape has raised more than $ 200 million.
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From 1960 to 1970, the most significant projects were works on the paintings of the Italian Michelangelo Antonioni (Michelangelo Antonioni):
- The parable film “Blowup” in 1966. The tape received seven film awards, including two Oscars and three BAFTA awards (The British Academy of Film and Television Arts).
- The dramas Zabriskie Point (Zabriskie Point) in 1969. It was a high-profile, scandalous project with the burning of the American flag and hippo-sexual scenes, although it failed at the box office.
- Melodrama "Profession: Reporter" ("Professione: Reporter") in 1975. The painting was awarded the "Golden Palm Branch" at the International Film Festival in Cannes (Festival international du film de Cannes) in 1975.
Another landmark work, Unusual Day (Una giornata particolare), was created in collaboration with director Ettore Scola in 1977. The tape was awarded eight film awards, among them two awards by Davido di Donatello and Golden Globe.
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Death
In 1992, Carlo Ponti became seriously ill. Over the last two years of his life, a loving spouse was next to his beloved husband, supported him and looked after him. At the age of 94, the producer suddenly died of pneumonia in a Swiss hospital on the night of January 10, 2007.
The funeral service was held in the presence of only the closest friends and relatives. The body of the master is buried in his homeland, in Magenta.
Family
The first wife of the master was the daughter of General Julian Fiastri (Giuliana Fiastri) in 1946. Officially, their marriage lasted eleven years. In 1951, the couple had their first child - the girl Gwendalina (Guendalina), who became a lawyer. Gwendalina now has a daughter, Angelica. In 1953, the boy was born Alex (Alex), who went in the footsteps of his father and became a producer.
In 1950, 38-year-old Carlo was a member of the jury of a beauty contest. It was there that fate brought him to the 16-year-old Sofia Villani Scicolone, who was awarded the title of Miss Grace.
The producer immediately noticed the girl and said that she had a very interesting face, but immediately offered to make nose plastic and lose weight from her lush hips. The girl flatly refused and made the right choice. Subsequently, she became the standard of beauty. But the angry Ponti refused to continue to communicate with Sofia, he did not tolerate refusals.
The future star for several months sat in the producer's reception room in the hope of getting the role. In the end, Ponti relented and invited her to audition. When Sofia showed her talents, he realized that something more than just an ordinary actress would come out of her.
After three years, Carlo and Sofia began to relate to each other in a different way. The girl saw him as a protector and patron, while Ponti was more and more interested in the beautiful actress. He invested a lot of money in the formation of a provincial protege, forced her to read a lot, learn etiquette and foreign languages, forced him to walk between tables with open drawers and cover them with hips. Close communication incredibly brought them together, they became lovers. Carlo shortened the name of his beloved to Sophie and came up with her sonorous name Lauren. Soon, Ponti sent the girl an engagement ring.
Subsequently, Sophie had many films, good and not very, where she starred naked. Very soon, the actress became a recognized sex symbol of her time.
But in the 50s. Ponty was still married to Julianne, and the Vatican did not consent to their divorce. Then he took Sophie and they left for Mexico (Mexico) to marry there. Upon returning to his homeland, Ponti turned out to be a bigamist because the Vatican did not recognize the legality of the new marriage. Their films in Italy were banned from showing for some time.
Carlo almost gave up, but then Sophie used a female trick and provoked his jealousy, twisting an affair with actor Cary Grant (Cary Grant). Ponty was terribly jealous, but could not do anything, and by 1966 he had managed to achieve recognition of the officiality of his second marriage. Now, the main desire for Sophie was the dream of becoming a mother, she was repeatedly pregnant, but each time it ended in a miscarriage.
Sophie's next pregnancy barely got out of bed in a hotel in Switzerland. She walked with cotton-plugged ears so as not to be afraid of any noise. And it gave results.
In 1968, Sophie, after a difficult pregnancy, gives her husband Carlo Ponti Jr.'s son, who later became a conductor. Parents rejoiced at the appearance of the heir so much that they gave an interview right in the lobby of the hospital. Sophie and the baby were in a reclining position on a gurney, and Carlo and the doctors talked to hundreds of happy reporters.
In 1972, having suffered the same severe pregnancy, Sophie gave birth to Eduardo (Edoardo), the future producer. In 2002, he will offer his mother the main role in the film "Between Us" ("Between Strangers").
In the 70s. Sophie's popularity began to decline, she began to act less. Then a caring husband invited her to publish an autobiography. In 1980, viewers were able to see the picture of Hotchner (Hotchner) "Sophia Loren: Her Own History" ("Sophia Loren: Her Own") from his own book.
Sophie and Carlo lived a happy life without cheating and scandals.
Repeated attempts by journalists to convict any of them of treason did not bear fruit. This marriage has become the standard of family star life. Their children grew up as successful people and were able to achieve much in life. After Carlo died, Sophie admitted that their love is a rare gift of God, which not many receive.
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Interesting Facts
- In total, Carlo Ponti has more than 150 films.
- In 1979, an Italian court sentenced Ponty to four years in prison and a fine of $ 26 million 200 thousand for trying to remove $ 6 million and expensive works of art from his homeland. But by then he was already a citizen of France, which did not extradite him to the Italian authorities.
- In Russia, in the city of Yekaterinburg, a shoe website called “CARLO PONTI” was opened, which has nothing to do with either the Italian producer or Italy itself.
- Ponty carefully took care of Sophie's reputation and redeemed cheap films in full runs, where she had just tried her hand.
- To marry Sophie, in 1957, Ponti tried to get a divorce from Julian in Mexico. In Italy, divorce and a new marriage were not recognized, in 1962, and the marriage with Sophie was canceled. To make the divorce legal, Carlo, Julianne and Sophie took French citizenship.
- In 1966, in France, former spouses were finally able to get a divorce.
- In 1963, Carlo Ponti starred in the documentary Showman, directed by Albert Maysles and David Maysles, where he played himself.
