He was born at Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples, and grew up selling spaghetti produced by his father. His studies at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome were interrupted by the Second World War. Since his first movie, L'ultimo Combattimento, (1940) he has produced nearly 150. In 1946 his company, the Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, moved into production. In the early years, De Laurentiis produced neorealist films such as Bitter Rice (1946) and the Fellini classics La...

LONDON -- PETER SELLERS WRITHES AGAIN "THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS" Viewed at Muswell Hill Odeon, London, Oct. 21st Not in the festival but on commercial release here in London, is a biopic, the subject of which is obvious, and which will undoubtedly arouse curiosity around the world. This biting "docu-drama" is directed by newcomer Stephen Hopkins and stars Australian Geoffrey Rush in the title role of a not very savoury Sellers. The picture has opened to "...

Tuesday, August 14------Writer/directors of the old school, who worked exclusively in the Hollywood studios of the 1950s and 1960s, are becoming a rare breed. One of the best of these directorial "team players" was the farceur Mel (aka Melville) Shavelson, a comedy writer, producer and director. In a career that garnered two Academy Award nominations for his original screenplays  and deft direction of such stars as Cary Grant, Sophia Loren, Kirk Douglas, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Bo...

Thursday, August 9----------Frank E. Rosenfelt, one of the most respected Hollywood production exectives of the past few decades, died on August 2nd at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 85. He reached his career zenith at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he acquired and produced such acclaimed films as DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and NETWORK.Frank Edward Rosenfelt was born in Peabody, Massachussets in 1921, but grew up in what he later described as “the worst slum in the Bronx,” in ...

American Cinematheque and Cinecittà Holding - Rome Present: CINEMA ITALIAN STYLE: NEW FILMS FROM ITALY October 3 - 9, 2006 Presented with the financial support of the Italian Ministry for Culture - General Direction for Cinema, the Lazio Region and the Italian Film Commission, in collaboration with: The Italian Consul General and the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, FilmItalia. Special thanks to BVLGARI and MISSONI. Following on the success of the first two years, Cinema Italian Sty...