Sophia Loren Returns To The Big Screen

words by Carol King Italian actress Sophia Loren is back on set filming ‘La voce umana’ (The Human Voice) directed by her youngest son, Edoardo Ponti. ‘La voce umana’ is based French director and writer Jean Cocteau’s 1930 play ‘La Voix Humaine’. It tells the story of the mental breakdown of a woman who is left by her lover and is usually performed by one actor, however, Ponti’s short adaptation sees Loren play opposite Sicilian actor Enrico Lo Verso. The last movie 78-year-old Loren performed in was the romantic drama ‘Nine’, which was released in 2009, and Loren joined a cast including Dame Judi Dench, Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman and Penélope Cruz. The ‘La voce umana’ movie is set in Rome, Ostia and Naples. The film features Naples’ Palazzo Reale, Palazzo dello Spagnuolo and Santa Lucia. When Loren appeared in Naples recently to shoot the movie, she visited Via Solfatara in the Pozzuoli district where she grew up. The Italian news agency ANSA reported that the actress was met by a crowd of fans keen to welcome the city’s most famous resident, shouting “Sophia!” and “You’re the heart of Naples!” Locals in particular appreciated the fact that Loren is speaking in Naples dialect for her role as Angela in the film. Filming is expected to take three weeks and the movie is due for release in 2014. Loren told Italian newspaper ‘La Repubblica’: “This film is an homage to Naples, but above all to women’s courage and dignity. My Angela is not a victim, but a woman who fights for her love.” Loren told the newspaper she was moved by making the film since Italian actress Anna Magnani played the same role in director Roberto Rossellini’s 1948 adaptation of the Cocteau play, ‘L’amore’ (The Love). Loren said she was aged 14 when she saw Magnani in ‘L’amore’ and it inspired her to become an actress, so following in her predecessor’s footsteps to play Angela is the fulfillment of a dream she has had for 40 years.