In Remembrance: Alberto Lattuada

     Alberto Lattuada, the oft-times controversial Italian film director, has passed away in Rome, Italy on July 3, 2005. He was 90.

     Born on November 13, 1913 in Milan, Italy, Lattuada’s career flourished in the 1950s and early 60s, a time generally regarded as the Golden Age of Italian Cinema. His first film was 1943’s Giancomo l’idealista (Giancomo The Idealist).

     Lattuada’s films often challenged and explored the changing social climate of the time. Anna (1951) was the story of a vampish nightclub singer (Anna Magnani) who decides to join a convent. One of his most noted films was La Spiaggia (aka Riviera, 1954), the story of a prostitute who vacations with her daughter at an exclusive beach resort and confronts the hypocrisy of the upper class who initially accept her into their company until they discover her profession. Another film, Dolci Inganni (Sweet Deceits, 1960) was denounced as offensive for its coming-of-age story about a 16-year-old girl’s first sexual experiences. Lattuada was also noted for writing strong female characters in his films. He has been credited with discovering such actresses as Catherine Spaak, Clio Goldsmith, Barbara de Rossi and Natassja Kinski.

     Lattuada's films would also satirize Italian sexual attitudes. In 1978’s Cosi Come Sei (Stay As You Are), a middle-aged Marcello Mastroianni falls in love with the adolescent Nastassja Kinski.

     Lattuada’s last work was the “Genova” segment of the 1989 documentary 12 Registi Per 12 Città.