The iconic musician Sophia Loren said “represented America”
Regarded by many as one of the most influential movie stars of the 20th century, Sophia Loren is a true global icon. Having collaborated with some of the greatest filmmakers in history, such as Vittorio De Sica and Charlie Chaplin, Loren’s filmography is full of incredible projects that continue to move modern audiences to this day. Her journey as a pioneering actor is all the more impressive when it is contextualised by her origins.
In those early years, Loren lived in her grandmother’s house in Pozzuoli, which was a point of interest during the Second World War. Due to the close proximity of the harbour and a weapon factory, the area was regularly bombed by the Allies. Before her family briefly relocated to Naples to avoid catastrophes, Loren was injured in one of those raids herself. Those traumatising memories became a major part of her artistic consciousness.
In an interview with BBC, the Italian actor was asked to name some of the musical masterpieces that continue to have a hold on her. Ranging from Claude Debussy to Frank Sinatra, Loren’s selection is stellar, but one musician on that list will always have a special place in her heart. The artist in question is none other than the great Ella Fitzgerald, who provided comfort to Loren during some of the most difficult years of her life.
While reflecting on her memories of the war which defined her childhood years, Loren said that she couldn’t understand all of it as a child. She recalled: “We were always in a battle with something. I didn’t know what it was – bombing and drama and falling houses and no food at all. And you know, it’s incredible because I’m talking about many, many years ago, and I still think about these kinds of things like it was yesterday. It’s very, very much alive… terrible.”
It was only after the war had ended that she discovered Fitzgerald’s ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’: “It was a song that I heard for the first time in Pozzuoli after the war. And of course, I didn’t understand anything that she was saying, and Ella’s voice represented America to me, and to me, America was so far away still at that time… I kept on hearing [this song] on the radio in Italy, and Ella Fitzgerald really gave me a sense of life. She was my comfort blanket, she was a musical for my dreams.”
After surviving the horrors of the war, Loren eventually made her way to Hollywood, where she starred alongside some of the biggest names in the industry, like Cary Grant and Clark Gable. While her Italian projects undoubtedly demonstrate her sublime acting skills, it was her American body of work that reinforced her status as an international star.
Listen to the song below.
