Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
The world lost a legendary actor in June when Donald Sutherland passed away at the age of 88. The New York Times called him “a Chameleon of a Movie Star” and mentioned many of the iconic characters he portrayed in an extraordinary career that spanned seven decades.
Among them were a few unforgettable roles in films directed by Italians or made in Italy. In 1976, Sutherland appeared in two films by equally legendary filmmakers Federico Fellini and Bernardo Bertolucci.
He portrayed the title role in “Fellini’s Casanova,” taking on the larger-than-life character Giacomo Casanova, described as “a man who never speaks ill of women but does not wish to understand them for fear of falling in love with them and suffering at their hands. One of Casanova’s love interests in the film was Sandra Allen, the Chicago-born woman noted in the Guinness World Records as the tallest woman in the world.
The elaborate costumes and decadent set design amplified the mystery and presence of the character. With his natural mystique and physical stature, Sutherland brought Casanova to life, making the movie the classic it is today.
That same year, Sutherland had a role in Bernardo Bertolucci’s epic “1900,” featuring an international cast that includes Robert DeNiro, Gérard Depardieu and Burt Lancaster. According to IMBD, Bertolucci stated in an interview that he filmed the movie scenes based on the four seasons. The boys at the center of the film meet in the summer and are reunited in the fall. The Fascist takeover happens in the winter and the end of World War II signifies spring.
Sutherland portrays the fascist leader Attila, a character so disturbing that Sutherland himself reportedly could not watch his performance in the film for years after making it. The character is cold, calculating and murderous with no regard whatsoever for life. Attila adds a very chilling dimension to the film and some of his scenes are indeed difficult to watch.
Fast-forward to 2018, when Sutherland played the role of American billionaire John Paul Getty in the FX series “Donald Sutherland.” Based on the 1973 kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, the film was shot largeluy on location in Italy, including scenes with Sutherland. He deftly plays the role of a detached, materialistic and stingy man, all traits the character was known to possess during his life.
All three films are available to stream on numerous online platforms.
