Wertmüller, Lina, 1928–2021,
Italian film director, b. Archangela as Felice Assunta Wertmüller von Elgg
Spañol von Braucich. In the 1970s she became known for her surreal comedies,
which include The Seduction of Mimi (1972), Love
and Anarchy (1973), Swept Away (1974), and
Seven Beauties (1975), which earned her a nomination
for a Best Director Oscar, the first female to be so honored. Although she
continued to make films, she never recaptured her early success. Her later
works include Softly, Softly (1985), Summer
Night (1986), and Ciao, Professore (1994). She
received an honorary Oscar and was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame, both in 2019.
See The Screenplays of Lina Wertmüller (1977); studies by E. Ferlita
and J. R. May, The Parables of Lina Wertmüller (1977), P.
Bondanella, Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to the Present
(1990), G. R. Bullaro, Man in Disorder: The Cinema of Lina
Wertmüller in the 1970s (2007); Behind the White
Glasses (doc. film, 2016).
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