Laura Betti

Laura Betti (1 May 1927[1] – 31 July 2004) was an Italian actress known particularly for her work with directors Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Bernardo Bertolucci. She had a long friendship with Pasolini and made a documentary about him in 2001. Betti became famous for portraying bizarre, grotesque, eccentric, instable or maniacal roles, like Regina in Bernardo Bertolucci's 1900, Anna the medium in Twitch of the Death Nerve, Giovanna la pazza in Woman Buried Alive, hysterical Rita Zigai in Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina

Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina and Therese in Private Vices, Public Virtues. Particularly notes her roles as Emilia, the servant, in Pier Paolo Pasolini's Teorema

Teorema and Mildred, the protagonist's wife-ghost in Mario Bava's Hatchet for the Honeymoon.

Contents

1 Early life 2 Film career 3 Selected filmography 4 Discography

4.1 LP 4.2 EP 4.3 Singles

5 References 6 External links

Early life[edit] Born Laura Trombetti in Bologna, she grew up to be interested in singing. She first worked professionally in the arts as a jazz singer and moved to Rome. Film career[edit] Betti made her film debut in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita (1960). In 1963, she became a close friend of the poet and movie director Pier Paolo Pasolini. Under his direction, she proved a wonderful talent and played in seven of his films, including La ricotta (1963), Teorema (Theorem, 1968), his 1972 version of The Canterbury Tales, in which she played the Wife of Bath; and his controversial Salo (1975) ("120 Days of Sodom").[1] In 1976, Betti portrayed a cruel and eroto-maniacal fascist in Bernardo Bertolucci's Novecento (1900). She also played Miss Blandish in his Last Tango in Paris
Last Tango in Paris (1972), though her scenes were deleted.[1] In 1973 she dubbed the voice of the Devil for the Italian version of William Friedkin's The Exorcist.

Betti with Franco Franchi
Franco Franchi (1965)

From the 1960s, Betti dedicated much of her time to literature and politics. She became the muse for a number of leading political and literary figures in Italy
Italy and came to personify the revolutionary and Marxist
Marxist era of 1970s Italy. In 2001, she made a documentary about Pasolini, Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini e la ragione di un sogno.[1] She also donated her papers related to their long friendship along with more than 1000 volumes and many documents connected to Pasolini to the archives of the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna, thus creating the Centro Studi Archivio Pier Paolo Pasolini. This Centro, strongly wanted by Betti, owns also thousands of photograph and all the works of Pasolini: poetry, literature, cinema and journalism. After her death in 2004 her brother Sergio Trombetti has donated all the personal documents of her career to the Centro that has absorbed them under the name Fondo Laura Betti. Selected filmography[edit]

La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita (1960), directed by Federico Fellini The Witches (1967), produced by Dino De Laurentiis Teorema
Teorema (1968), for her role as Emilia, the servant, Betti won the Volpi Cup
Volpi Cup in the same year. Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970), directed by Mario Bava A Man Called Sledge (1970), directed by Vic Morrow Twitch of the Death Nerve
Twitch of the Death Nerve (1971), directed by Mario Bava The Canterbury Tales (1972), directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini Sonny and Jed
Sonny and Jed (1972), directed by Sergio Corbucci Woman Buried Alive
Woman Buried Alive (1973), directed by Aldo Lado Allonsanfàn
Allonsanfàn (1974), directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani Drama of the Rich
Drama of the Rich (1974), directed by Mauro Bolognini The Last Day of School Before Christmas (1975), directed by Gian Vittorio Baldi Private Vices, Public Pleasures
Private Vices, Public Pleasures (1976), directed by Miklòs Jancsò 1900 (1976), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci Le Gang
Le Gang (1977), directed by Jacques Deray Il gabbiano (1977), directed by Marco Bellocchio At Night All Cats Are Crazy (1977), directed by Gérard Zingg Butterfly on the Shoulder (1978), directed by Jacques Deray The Word (1978), directed by Richard Lang Lovers and Liars
Lovers and Liars (1979), directed by Mario Monicelli La Certosa di Parma (it) (1982), directed by Mauro Bolognini Klassenverhältnisse
Klassenverhältnisse (1984), directed by Straub-Huillet Mamma Ebe
Mamma Ebe (1985), directed by Carlo Lizzani All the Fault of Paradise (1985), directed by Francesco Nuti Sweets from a Stranger (1987), directed by Franco Ferrini The Camels
The Camels (1988), directed by Giuseppe Bertolucci The Great Pumpkin (1993), directed by Francesca Archibugi Mario, Maria and Mario
Mario, Maria and Mario (1993), directed by Ettore Scola The Rebel (1993), directed by Aurelio Grimaldi We Free Kings (1996), directed by Sergio Citti Marianna Ucrìa
Marianna Ucrìa (1997), directed by Roberto Faenza An Air So Pure
An Air So Pure (1997), directed by Yves Angelo The Protagonists (1999), directed by Luca Guadagnino Fat Girl
Fat Girl (2000), directed by Catherine Breillat Happiness Costs Nothing
Happiness Costs Nothing (2003), directed by Mimmo Calopresti Household Accounts
Household Accounts (2003), directed by Tonino Cervi Raul: Straight to Kill (2004), directed by Andrea Bolognini

Betti in Hatchet for the honeymoon, by Mario Bava

Discography[edit] LP[edit]

Laura Betti
Laura Betti con l'orchestra di Piero Umiliani (Jolly LPJ 5020, 1960) Laura Betti
Laura Betti canta Kurt Weill 1900-1933 (Ricordi SMRL 6031, 1963) Laura Betti
Laura Betti canta Kurt Weill 1933-1950 (Ricordi SMRL 6032, 1963)

EP[edit]

Laura Betti
Laura Betti con Piero Umiliani e la sua orchestra. La commedia è finita/La canzone del giramondo/La canzone del tempo/Una venere ottimista (RCA Italiana A72U0220, 1958) Quattro canzoni con Laura Betti. Amare vuol dire mentire/ I hate Rome/ Lucciola/ Satellite (Jolly EPJ 3000, 1960) Laura Betti
Laura Betti con l'orchestra di Piero Umiliani. Quella cosa in Lombardia/Piero/Io son' una (Jolly EPJ 3004, 1960) Laura Betti
Laura Betti con l'orchestra di Piero Umiliani. Macrì Teresa detta Pazzia/Valzer della toppa/Cocco di mamma (Jolly EPJ 3005, 1960) Laura Betti
Laura Betti con l'orchestra di Piero Umiliani. Venere tascabile/Vera signora/E invece no (Jolly EPJ 3006, 1960) Laura Betti
Laura Betti dal film 'Cronache del '22'. Nel '22 sognavo già l'amore/Proprio oggi/Sulla strada che va a Reggio/La prima volta (Jolly EPJ3009, 1961) Laura Betti
Laura Betti N.1. Je me jette/La parade du suicide/Je hais Rome/La belle Léontine (Chansons d'Orphée 150019, 1962) Laura Betti
Laura Betti N.2. Je sais vivre/Piero/Maria le Tatuage/Une vraie dame (Chansons d'Orphée, 150021b, 1962) Laura Betti
Laura Betti e Paolo Poli. Doppio EP. La bambinona/Guglielmino/La bella Leontine/Io Corpus Domini 1938/Mi butto/Donna bocca bella/Donna Lombarda/Orrenda madre/La Lisetta/La Ninetta/La Morettina/La Gigiotta (Carosello LC4001/2, 1964) Ordine e disordine. Ai brigoli di Casalecchio/M'hai scocciata, Johnny/Monologo della buca/Solitudine/Lamento del nord (I dischi del sole DS 40, 1965)

Singles[edit]

Les pantoufles à papa/L'attesa (Rca Italiana N0595, 1957) Venere tascabile/Seguendo la flotta (Jolly J 20135, 1960) Ballata dell'uomo ricco/Ballata del pover'uomo (Jolly J 20128, 1961) E invece no/Solamente gli occhi (Jolly J 20136X45, 1961)

References[edit]

^ a b c d Obituary: "Laura Betti", BBC, 1 August 2004

External links[edit]

Laura Betti
Laura Betti on IMDb Laura Betti
Laura Betti at AllMovie Il Manifesto Obituaries

v t e

Volpi Cup
Volpi Cup for Best Actress

1934–1968

Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn (1934) Paula Wessely
Paula Wessely (1935) Annabella (1936) Bette Davis
Bette Davis (1937) Norma Shearer
Norma Shearer (1938) Luise Ullrich
Luise Ullrich (1941) Kristina Söderbaum
Kristina Söderbaum (1942) Anna Magnani
Anna Magnani (1947) Jean Simmons
Jean Simmons (1948) Olivia de Havilland
Olivia de Havilland (1949) Eleanor Parker
Eleanor Parker (1950) Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh (1951) Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman (1952) Lilli Palmer
Lilli Palmer (1953) Maria Schell
Maria Schell (1956) Dzidra Ritenberga (1957) Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren (1958) Madeleine Robinson (1959) Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine (1960) Suzanne Flon
Suzanne Flon (1961) Emmanuelle Riva
Emmanuelle Riva (1962) Delphine Seyrig
Delphine Seyrig (1963) Harriet Andersson
Harriet Andersson (1964) Annie Girardot
Annie Girardot (1965) Natalya Arinbasarova
Natalya Arinbasarova (1966) Shirley Knight
Shirley Knight (1967) Laura Betti
Laura Betti (1968)