by Michele Diomà
Claudia Cardinale’s visage is destined to stand as one of the enduring symbols of the 20th century, much as Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa smile has remained an emblem of the Renaissance. For many cinephiles, the immediate image that comes to mind is her ethereal, almost salvific presence in Federico Fellini’s 8½. Yet Cardinale was far more than a single iconic role. She demonstrated extraordinary versatility, embodying a wide range of characters, and with remarkable foresight and courage, supported independent producers at a time when mainstream success beckoned. At the peak of her stardom in the late 1960s, Cardinale made a bold choice for artistic freedom, parting ways with the powerful producer Franco Cristaldi. Many warned her that such a decision would end her career; instead, it opened new creative opportunities with independent filmmakers, among them Werner Herzog, for the “mad” and poetic masterpiece Fitzcarraldo. Throughout her career, and even in more recent years, Cardinale continued to embrace arthouse productions purely for her love of cinema. It is therefore with particular pleasure that we present, on WILD FILMMAKER, an exclusive interview with Karin Proia, a talented director and actress who had the honor of directing Claudia Cardinale in one of her final films.
-How did the idea of involving a legendary personality like Claudia Cardinale in your indie film “A Trip to Rome” come about?
I fell in love with cinema thanks to a close-up of Claudia Cardinale in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West. Leone later became one of my favorite directors. While channel surfing, I was captivated by Cardinale’s gaze. Then Antonioni’s long take in The Passenger sealed the deal, and I decided that when I grew up, I would become a director.
So when it came time to shoot my first film, I thought I’d dream big and try to call her, since she had been a sort of revelation for me. And Claudia, after reading the script, was happy to play the role I had written for her: Marguerite.
-How did you manage to approach Claudia Cardinale and convince her to take part in your film?
Through her agent, I sent the script and then stopped by Paris, where she was living, to talk about it. Luckily, it was quite easy, because she had fallen in love with the story. She has always had great sensitivity towards first-time directors.
She also loved the final result so much that she chose it as her only film of the past 40 years to be included in the retrospective that the Cinémathèque Tunisienne dedicated to her at its inauguration. I suddenly found myself, with my debut film A Trip to Rome, in the company of Visconti, Fellini, Leone, Comencini, Bolognini, and so on… A tremendous honor for me.
-Can you share any anecdotes about your relationship with Claudia on set?
Despite being a huge star, Claudia never made anyone feel it. On set she was punctual, patient, and affectionate with everyone. She always had a genuine smile to give. She put herself completely at the service of the film with great professionalism and empathy.
–Do you think it’s still possible today to make art films like the masterpieces Claudia Cardinale took part in, or is the production system too reluctant to take risks?
I think it could still be done if the system hadn’t created such a stifling circuit, where the few truly original works either never get screened or play in theaters so briefly that no one notices them. I don’t want to generalize, of course, because there are always success stories, but unfortunately the audience has grown disenchanted with Italian productions.
There are talents in Italy: many brilliant but unknown authors, many established and emerging directors, and many talented actors and actresses who are underused or misused. More than production courage, since nothing guarantees box office success anymore, we need to win back audiences, who for the most part no longer go to the cinema, and if they do, they avoid Italian films. Again, without generalizing, with a few rare exceptions of success.
-I am convinced that figures like Claudia Cardinale will represent the face of the 20th century for centuries to come, just as the Mona Lisa is an icon of the Renaissance. How do you imagine cinema will be 100 years from now?
I don’t know, but I would love to see it. I’m optimistic, and I believe and hope it won’t all be the product of AI. On the contrary, I hope there will be a rediscovery of human imperfection. At some point, we’ll need to find again the beauty of what is natural and original, both in terms of images and content.
