Marcello (Sigh...)
Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Marcello Mastroianni's Birth At The MoMA
Salve ragazzi,
When I was a little girl in the 1960s, the world we saw on TV and in movies was the very definition of “cool.” The clothes, the music, the sophisticated chill - but in many respects, it was a way of life that we reject today. The cigarette smoking, the misogyny, the racism. Yeah. Not ideal.
But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. When I was a kid there was a definitive consensus of what it meant to be “cool,” “handsome,” and “sexy.” When women talked about those things, they were talking about James Bond, JFK, and the Latin Lover himself, Marcello Mastroianni.
Here’s his guide to BEING COOL.
So, if you are in New York City anytime from today until January 5, 2025, I’ve got the coolest thing for your “MUST DO” list.
To celebrate the iconic actor Marcello Mastroianni’s birth, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), in collaboration with Cinecittà will present Marcello and Chiara Mastroianni, A Family Affair, a retrospective celebrating the enduring legacy of the acclaimed Italian actor and the achievements of his daughter, Chiara Mastroianni.
What MUST it be like to be the daughter of Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve?
Want to find out?
She’ll be at the MoMA along with 17 seminal films starring her father, including several newly restored by Cinecittà, and she’ll be introducing the U.S. premiere of Cinecittà’s 4K restoration of Luchino Visconti’s Le notti bianche (White Nights, 1957), together with Cinecittà’s president, Chiara Sbarigia.
Take a look at the difference a restoration makes.
In addition to presenting her father’s films, Chiara will introduce several of her most acclaimed works, including the U.S. premiere of Marcello Mio (2024), directed by Christophe Honoré, on December 13. Featured in this year’s Cannes Film Festival’s main competition, the film is a poignant dual portrait in which Chiara recreates some of her father’s iconic cinematic roles while reflecting on her own life.
Marcello Mastroianni worked with many of Italy's top directors over his remarkable career: 147 films from 1939 to 1996. During that time, he collected two BAFTA Awards, two Best Actor awards at the Venice and Cannes film festivals, two Golden Globes, and three Academy Award nominations.
Born in Fontana Liri, just outside Rome, he was the son of Ida Irolle and Ottorino Mastroianni, who ran a carpentry shop.
FAST FACT: During World War II, after Italy switched sides and joined the Allied Forces, Mastroianni was imprisoned in a German camp. He managed to escape and hid in Venice! Those people who lived through that war were so darned tough!
Mastroianni made his film debut at age 14 as an extra in Marionette (1939). He later worked for the Italian division of Eagle Lion Films in Rome and joined a drama club, where he caught the attention of director Luchino Visconti. In 1957, Visconti cast him in the lead role of his Dostoevsky adaptation, Le Notti Bianche, (White Nights). In 1958, he again impressed audiences as a petty thief in Mario Monicelli's comedy I soliti ignoti, (Big Deal on Madonna Street).
Mastroianni’s breakthrough came in 1960 when Federico Fellini cast him in La Dolce Vita. Who among us can walk down Via Veneto in Rome without thinking of Fellini and Marcello Mastroianni?
This Is How Much I Love You.
I will share my favorite restaurant and hope I’ll never find it impossible to get a reservation because of it. While in New York, I recommend you go to Osteria 57, a pescatarian restaurant in Greenwich Village that many consider one of the truly authentic Italian restaurants in New York City. For me, it’s perfect because I don’t eat meat or fish, and along with the fish dishes, vegetables are treated with the respect they deserve - and delicious! If you can’t do without meat, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.
The last time we were there, we got pumpkin gnocchi with chanterelles, which was a winner. I always get Brussels sprout salad, and I have been trying to recreate it at home with little luck. And the potato croquettes! YUM! Oh, and Brian says the fish is amazing, too.
It’s such a comfortable environment with a low noise level, and the staff is always welcoming and friendly.
Located at 57 W 10th St, you can reserve a table at resy.com.
Can’t make it to the city?
The Criterion Channel has a nice selection of Mastroianni’s movies, and I’ll be giving away a year’s membership to one lucky reader!
For a chance to win a year of the Criterion Channel:
It’s easy. So easy that if you don’t do this, I seriously question your sanity.
All you have to do is like and comment on this post, and your name will go into a jar. The week after Christmas, I will post a video of me picking a name from the jar. Just do it, OK? You have until midnight on Christmas Eve to enter.
FALLO E BASTA! 🎄
So, one last thing…we need a word for today…🤔
If you want to say “Good Luck,” don’t use the literal translation, “Buona Fortuna.” Have you heard of “In Bocca Al Lupo”?
Enter the contest! Win a year of the Criterion Channel! In bocca al lupo!
Crepi!
Alla prossima!
Un bacione 💋,
Cheri
America’s Favorite Italian Wannabe
Viva Marcello!!
Fabulous! If only I were in New York to visit!