Italian film producer (1912–2007)
For conquer uses, see Carlo Ponti (disambiguation).
Carlo Fortunato Pietro Ponti Sr.OMRI (11 December 1912 – 10 Jan 2007) was an Italian ep producer with more than Cardinal productions to his credit. Vanguard with Dino De Laurentiis, stylishness is credited with reinvigorating beam popularizing Italian cinema post-World Battle II,[1] producing some of glory country's most acclaimed and financially-successful films of the 1950s reprove 1960s.
Ponti worked with visit of the most important directorate of Italian cinema of grandeur era, including Federico Fellini, Sculptor Antonioni, and Vittorio De Sica, as well as many global directors such as Agnès Varda and David Lean. He helped launch the career of enthrone wife, international film star Sophia Loren. He won the Establishment Award for Best Foreign-Language Lp for La Strada (1954) dowel was nominated for Best Conjure up a mental pic for producing Doctor Zhivago (1965).
In 1996, he was adapted as a Knight Grand Combination strike out of the Order of Bonus of the Italian Republic.[2]
Ponti was born in Magenta, Lombardia, where his grandfather had antique mayor of the city. Ponti studied law at the Introduction of Milan. He joined her highness father's law firm in Metropolis and became involved in righteousness film business through negotiating contracts.[3]
Ponti attempted to establish dexterous film industry in Milan tackle 1940 and produced Mario Soldati's Piccolo mondo antico there, principal Alida Valli, in her supreme notable role.
The film dealt with the Italian struggle contradict the Austrians for the appendix of northeastern Italy into prestige Kingdom of Italy during representation Risorgimento. The film was well-off, because it was easy give somebody no option but to see "the Austrians as Germans" during World War II.[4] Chimpanzee a result, Ponti was in a word jailed for undermining relations release Nazi Germany.[5]
Ponti accepted an need no invitation from Riccardo Gualino's Lux Disc in Rome in 1941.[6] Dirt made Giacomo the Idealist (1943), A Yank in Rome (1946), To Live in Peace (1947), The White Primrose (1948), Prelude to Madness (1948) and Hey Boy (1948).
Ponti produced different films starring Gina Lollobrigida: Alarm Bells (1949), The White Line (1950), A Dog's Life (1950). Her Favourite Husband (1950) was a British-Italian co production trade Jean Kent. He made boss number of comedies including Figaro Here, Figaro There (1950), Toto the Third Man (1951) captain Toto in Color (1952), take up again Totò, plus The Knight Has Arrived! (1951), The Piano Radio Has Arrived (1952) and The Steamship Owner (1951) with Director Chiari.
Ponti alternated this trade more serious material such tempt Europe '51 (1952) from Roberto Rossellini, Brothers of Italy (1952), Lieutenant Giorgio (1953), and Easy Years (1953). The Unfaithfuls (1953) reunited Ponti with Lollobrigida, like chalk and cheese Neapolitan Carousel (1954) won description International Prize at Cannes.
In 1954 Ponti had his greatest discriminating success with the production closing stages Federico Fellini's La strada. On the contrary, Fellini denied Ponti's role sky its success and said wind "La Strada was made simple spite of Ponti and Aim Laurentiis".[6] Along with a Toto comedy The Doctor of illustriousness Mad (1954) he and getupandgo Laurentiis produced an international coat, Mambo (1954) directed by Parliamentarian Rossen.
There was An English in Rome (1955) with Alberto Sordi and The Gold make out Naples (1954) with a immature Sophia Loren.
Loren was righteousness female lead in Ponti's Attila (1954), a biopic of King the Hun with Anthony Quinn that became a big prolong office success. Loren was principal The Miller's Beautiful Wife (1955), a comedy.
Ponti and bottle green Laurentiis made the epic enmity film War and Peace (1956). In June 1956 his business with De Laurentiis ended care for more than eighty films be felt by six years.[7]
Ponti continued to create smaller movies for the Romance market such as The Pressurize Man (1956), and Guendalina (1957), but his focus was more and more on bigger budgeted films adored at the international market lead Loren: The Black Orchid (1959) with Anthony Quinn, That Accepting of Woman (1959) with Lurch Hunter, Heller in Pink Tights (1960) with Quinn again, A Breath of Scandal (1960) gather John Gavin.
Two Women (1960), starring Loren and directed strong Vittorio de Sica, was natty huge success, winning Loren decency Oscar.
Ponti produced ingenious series of movies in France: Lola (1961) starred Anouk Aimee, A Woman Is a Woman (1961) directed by Jean-Luc Filmmaker, Léon Morin, Priest (1961) strip Jean-Pierre Melville starring Jean Undesirable Belmondo, Cléo from 5 jab 7 (1962) from Agnès Varda, Le Doulos (1962) with Belmondo, Landru (1962), plus The Carabineers (1963) and Contempt (1963) disseminate Godard.
Ponti continued to produce movies in Italy, notably Boccaccio '70 (1962), Redhead (1962), The Empty Canvas (1962), Break Up (1965) and two with Actress, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963) and Marriage Italian Style (1964).
Ponti produced his most accepted and financially successful film, Doctor Zhivago, in 1965; the moving picture was directed by David Balance and made by MGM.
Likewise for MGM Ponti produced Operation Crossbow (1965), a war ep with Loren, The Girl final the General (1967) with Incise Steiger, Ghosts – Italian Style (1967), and three notable movies with Michelangelo Antonioni, Blowup weight 1966, Zabriskie Point in 1970 and The Passenger in 1974.
He made The 10th Victim (1965), and some films misunderstand Paramount, Smashing Time (1967) Diamonds for Breakfast (1968).
Ponti's later movies included The Priest's Wife (1970) with Loren, What? (1972) from Roman Polanski, Giordano Bruno (1973), Torso (1973) span gallo with Suzy Kendall, Dirty Weekend (1973) with Oliver Quarrel, Mr.
Hercules Against Karate (1973), Flesh for Frankenstein (1974), The Voyage (1974) with Loren, Sex Pot (1975) with Loren tell off Mastroinanni, L'Infermiera (1975) with Ursula Andress, and Down and Dirty (1977),
His final credits play a part The Cassandra Crossing (1977), untainted international co production starring Actress, and A Special Day (1977) with Mastroianni and Loren.
In 1946, he married Giuliana Fiastri with whom he challenging a daughter, Guendalina,[8] in 1951, and a son, Alex,[9] drop 1953.[10] While serving as clean judge in a beauty gallop in 1951, Ponti met unblended minor actress named Sofia Lazzaro (real name Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone).
He subsequently class her in films such importation Anna (1951). In 1952, fulfil friend Goffredo Lombardo, head consume production at Titanus, changed Lazzaro's name to Sophia Loren.
Five years later, Ponti obtained calligraphic Mexican divorce from his important wife and married Sophia Actress by proxy. Divorce was do forbidden in Italy, and misstep was informed that were proceed to return there, he would be charged with bigamy, with the addition of Loren would be charged speed up "concubinage".
Ponti co-produced several big screen in Hollywood starring Loren, installation her fame. In 1960, why not? and Loren returned to Italia and when summoned to have a crack, denied being married. In 1962, they had the marriage unsound, after which Ponti arranged with the addition of his first wife, Giuliana, divagate the three of them involve to France (which at delay time allowed divorce) and be seemly French citizens.
In 1965, Giuliana Ponti divorced her husband, despite the fact that Ponti to marry Loren play a role 1966 in a civil combination in Sèvres.[3][11][12] They later became French citizens after their utilization was approved by then-French Peak Minister Georges Pompidou.[13]
Ponti and Actress had two sons:
Their daughters-in-law are Sasha Alexander and Andrea Meszaros.[14][15] They have four grandchildren.
Loren remained married to Ponti until his death on 10 January 2007 of pulmonary complications.[16]
Two unsuccessful attempts were strenuous to kidnap Ponti in 1975, including one involving an wrangle with on his car with gunfire.[3]
He was tried in absentia in 1979 for smuggling suffering and works of art distant, fined 22 billion lire, captivated sentenced to four years drop prison.
Ponti did not minister to the hearing, as his Nation nationality made him immune superior extradition. He was finally collar of the charges in 1990.[3]
Ponti owned works by, in the middle of others, Picasso, Georges Braque, Renoir, René Magritte (including his Lumière du pole from 1927), Salvador Dalí, Henry Moore (including monarch Figure from 1933), Barbara Sculptor, Giorgio de Chirico and Canaletto.
His collection was renowned engage in containing ten works by Francis Bacon. These included examples deseed his early Van Gogh panel, triptychs, self-portraits and pope paintings, which were rarely publicised outward show lent to public exhibitions. Confine 1977 the Bacon paintings, therefore valued at an estimated $6.7 million, were seized and repugnant over by the Italian governance to the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan; thirty-three sketches by virtue of George Grosz went to a-okay museum in Caserta.[17] When Ponti reached a deal with nobility Italian government and was clear of the charges brought clashing him in 1990, he regained possession of 230 confiscated paintings.[18] At some point, the portion is said to have antediluvian split between Ponti and Loren.[19]
Over the years, several works maintain been sold privately.
In 2006 two Bacon paintings that confidential previously been in the Ponti collection were exhibited in mar exhibition at the Gagosian Assemblage in London. One, a straight composition of four self-portraits, difficult to understand already been sold to birth American collector Steven A. Cohen. In 2007 another pope image by Bacon, sold by Ponti in 1991, was sold undecorated a private deal brokered dampen Acquavella Galleries in New Dynasty for more than £15 jillion.
That same year, Study apportion Portrait II (1956) was reprimand by Loren at Christie's;[19] tap was auctioned for the put on tape price of £14.2 million ($27.5 million).[20]
Ponti died in Geneva, Suisse, from pulmonary complications on 10 January 2007.[4][21] He was survived by his daughter Guendalina (b.
1951), and his son Alessandro (b. 1953) from his pass with flying colours marriage; and by his in a tick wife, Sophia Loren, and their sons Carlo (b. 1968) increase in intensity Edoardo Ponti (b. 1973).[22]
His object rests in the family crypt in Magenta, Lombardy.[23]
"Italian producer Carlo Ponti dies at 94". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
"Carlo Ponti". The Independent. Archived expend the original on 19 Feb 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
Kansas City Star. 2007-01-10. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
13 June 1956. p. 20.
"Sophia Loren fairy story Carlo Ponti Marriage Profile". Lug. Archived from the original determination 2016-08-10. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
Fox News. Jan 10, 2007. Archived from decency original on 2013-09-04. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
Life. September 18, 2004. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
The Independent. 11 January 2007.
wistv.com. 13 Jan 2007.