Monica Vitti Turns 90: The Iconic Actress's Legacy

Monica Vitti, born in Rome in 1931, celebrates her 90th birthday. Her early career is tied to Michelangelo Antonioni, with whom she had a relationship and starred in his 'tetralogy of incommunicability': L'avventura (1960), La notte (1961), L'eclisse (1962), and Deserto rosso (1964). In L'eclisse, the camera abandons her to focus on urban landscapes, reflecting alienation. Deserto rosso, set in Ravenna, follows Giuliana, a woman traumatized by a car accident, in a desolate industrial landscape. In the late 1960s, Vitti's comedic talent was discovered by Mario Monicelli in La ragazza con la pistola (1968) and fully realized by Ettore Scola. Dramma della gelosia (1970) deconstructed Italian cinema myths. Other notable roles include Polvere di stelle (1973) with Alberto Sordi, Teresa la ladra (1973), and L'anatra all'arancia (1975). Her autoirony defined her performances, representing the female face of commedia all'italiana alongside Stefania Sandrelli.