email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

FESTIVALS Italy

A cinema lesson from Liv Ullmann

by 

The Norwegian actress and director was the most eagerly awaited guest of the Viareggio EuropaCinema festival. After the screening of Faithless (Trolösa), her fifth feature film made in 2000, Liv Ullmann offered a lesson in cinema which began,

(The article continues below - Commercial information)
Hot docs EFP inside

She continued by talking of Italian cinema, recounting how, as a child, she discovered Vittorio De Sica. "I suddenly saw the other side of the life and for ever my view of life changes, thank to Vittorio de Sica and I thing to be part of films, to be part of filmmakers means that you, in a very small way, can change the world." Then she went on to talk of her work with Mario Monicelli and Mauro Bolognini, the director who reminds her "most of Ingmar Bergman; because he had this great knowledge and respect for actors and this professionalism." With regard to Faithless, Liv Ullmann confirmed that the character of the writer is clearly an interpretation by Bergman of himself. Remaining very faithful to the director’s original screenplay, Liv Ullmann restored at the heart of the film the child of this torn-apart couple and the notions of forgiveness and compassion, which Bergman, not believing in them, had rejected.

Liv Ullmann announced that her next film, A Doll’s house was on hold, due to disagreements with the producer and mainly because "I was working and they weren’t." Now in discussion with other producers, the director hopes to begin filming in the middle of the summer. The film is based on, "on every thing I know about being a woman", and is about a woman Nora who suddenly realises that in order to live we must make choices. She won’t appear in the film: "I do not believe in actors who are also filmmakers. I also believe that the director has to be sitting on the other side of the camera and should watch the actor" Liv Ullmann confided too that she has another project at the preparatory stage, a completed screenplay called, Coming Home, for which she is actively seeking a producer.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from French)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy