Biography of Alida Valli

(Alias of Alida Maria Laura von Altenbunger; Pola, 1921)

Photogenic and beautiful, blessed with an enchanting smile and fantastic eyes veiled with just a hint of wistfulness, by the end of the Thirties Alida Valli was already one of Italy's best loved actresses: also by virtue of her acting versatility which allowed her to move agilely from comic roles to dramatic ones.
The character which was to establish her as a star, making her at the same time one of the "Italian fiancées" most loved by audiences, was that of Luisa in "Piccolo mondo antico" (1941): guided by her admirer and lover Mario Soldati, the young actress from Istria played the unlucky heroine of Fogazzaro with quite credible thrills and tremors, achieving a level of brilliance in the splendid scene which portrays her on the brink of madness ("it was me, Franco, I killed her, Ombretta will be so cold down there..."), pitched half way between Shakespeare and Donizetti.
Even in the propaganda piece "Noi vivi / Addio, Kira!" (1942), directed incidentally with consummate professionalism by Goffredo Alessandrini, her performance - a flawless portrayal of both anxiety and ardour - is the linchpin of the entire work: and while her inevitable move to Hollywood saw her perform at less than her best in "The Paradine Case" (1948) by Hitchcock and barely more convincingly in "The Third Man" (1949) by Carol Reed, her return to Italy brought the most significant role of her long career.
In the role of Countess Livia Serpieri, the passionate and restless heroine of "Senso" (1954) by Luchino Visconti, she earned an enviable place in the history of Italian cinema: the torrid love affair between the fascinating noblewoman and the young Austrian officer, against the background of a Risorgimento at long last not merely concerned with manner, found in her a feverish and powerful, sensual and intense vehicle of expression, destined to remembered for years to come. The continuing course of her career as an international actress of great standing did not do justice to her talent: we are left with the profile of a talented actress, capable of adapting with skill to the most diverse roles and of embodying an entire age, as much in terms of acting ability as in cult status.

F.T.

Biography of Alida Valli

(Alias of Alida Maria Laura von Altenbunger; Pola, 1921)

Photogenic and beautiful, blessed with an enchanting smile and fantastic eyes veiled with just a hint of wistfulness, by the end of the Thirties Alida Valli was already one of Italy's best loved actresses: also by virtue of her acting versatility which allowed her to move agilely from comic roles to dramatic ones.
The character which was to establish her as a star, making her at the same time one of the "Italian fiancées" most loved by audiences, was that of Luisa in "Piccolo mondo antico" (1941): guided by her admirer and lover Mario Soldati, the young actress from Istria played the unlucky heroine of Fogazzaro with quite credible thrills and tremors, achieving a level of brilliance in the splendid scene which portrays her on the brink of madness ("it was me, Franco, I killed her, Ombretta will be so cold down there..."), pitched half way between Shakespeare and Donizetti.
Even in the propaganda piece "Noi vivi / Addio, Kira!" (1942), directed incidentally with consummate professionalism by Goffredo Alessandrini, her performance - a flawless portrayal of both anxiety and ardour - is the linchpin of the entire work: and while her inevitable move to Hollywood saw her perform at less than her best in "The Paradine Case" (1948) by Hitchcock and barely more convincingly in "The Third Man" (1949) by Carol Reed, her return to Italy brought the most significant role of her long career.
In the role of Countess Livia Serpieri, the passionate and restless heroine of "Senso" (1954) by Luchino Visconti, she earned an enviable place in the history of Italian cinema: the torrid love affair between the fascinating noblewoman and the young Austrian officer, against the background of a Risorgimento at long last not merely concerned with manner, found in her a feverish and powerful, sensual and intense vehicle of expression, destined to remembered for years to come. The continuing course of her career as an international actress of great standing did not do justice to her talent: we are left with the profile of a talented actress, capable of adapting with skill to the most diverse roles and of embodying an entire age, as much in terms of acting ability as in cult status.

F.T.