DUEL OF THE DIVEN- Sophia Loren versus Gina Lollobrigida

A legendary duel of Italian divas begins with a visit to Queen Elizabeth II. Gina Lollobrigida has been the uncrowned queen of the Bel Paese for years as Sophia Loren enters the world stage.

Showplace: the opening of the "Italian Film Festival" on 10 October 1954 in London. On the occasion of the royal reception, twelve Italian film stars, headed by Gina Lollobrigida (27 at the time) are to be presented to the Queen. On the royal occasion in discreet dresses. Gina Lollobrigida floats in in a girly gown as the noise is made: The hour of the 21-year-old Sophia Loren...

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It's because of these clothes that the duel begins....

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Sophia Loren breaks two rules of protocol when she arrives at the Tivoli Theatre. Sophia Loren wears a tiara in her hair. Actually, only Her Majesty the Queen is allowed to wear a tiara. And the décolleté of her off-the-shoulder, glittering dress is "dizzying", as the French magazine "Paris Match" later writes.

When "Gina Nazionale" is allowed to attend the royal banquet later, the night belongs to young Sophia. Even in the English newspapers, the photos of the Loren are bigger than those of Queen Elizabeth. The beginning of a legendary duel of the Italian divas: Almost every week from now on there are attacks and counter-attacks...

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The battle is on

Loren is invited to the Munich carnival, but cancels because of "work overload". Gina Lollobrigida then lets her celebrate in Munich, whereupon Sophia Loren retracts her refusal and also turns up in Bavaria. No sooner does Sophia Loren announce that she wants to have herself painted in the autumn than Lollo immediately orders 25 Milanese to a meeting. Gina takes part in a charity event for children with tuberculosis, Sophia then gets involved with the blind. Italy splits into two fan camps.

When Lollo exaggerates her fee demand for the third sequel to "Love Bread and Fantasy" in 1956 (she demands a 50 percent share of the profits), producer Goffredo Lombardo offers the role to Sophia Loren. She agrees on the condition that the film is shot in Naples.

"Gina Nazionale" then speaks out. She accuses the producer of defamation because she allegedly cancelled for artistic reasons. She also demands an artistic duel against the Loren. This does not happen in the acting sense, but the divas compete for the most spectacular, provocative photo. The editor-in-chief of "Cronache" is even sentenced to a fine for publishing an alleged nude photo of Sophia Loren. He denies the accusations: Loren was wearing a dress.

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Lollobrigida on international tour

At the time, Gina Lollobrigida was earning a sensational 250,000 euros (converted), Sophia Lorenz 150,000 euros per film.

Italy's still-queen Lollo has a triumphant reception in New York in 1958, where she is honoured by 750 celebrities from the US entertainment industry. This is followed by a visit to US President Eisenhower at the White House. Lollobrigida is at the height of her fame.

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And the Oscar goes to...

The film battle continues in Italy. In her latest work, "Die schöne Müllerin", Sophia Loren is once again shooting with Italy's superstar Vittorio de Sica. The grand seigneur of Italian cinema had judged "La Gina Nazionale" in 1953: "a charming woman and an excellent actress." He ennobled Sophia Loren in 1955 with the classification as "an excellent actress and a charming woman."

Lollo, meanwhile, has already prepared the counter-attack. In the same year, she makes the film that is to legitimise her claim to the throne. The title: "The most beautiful woman in the world". By 1962 at the latest, however, the battle was decided for the time being. Sophie Loren officially becomes the best actress in the world and wins an Oscar for best leading actress.

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written by Annie Kayser, first published 21 November 2022

Cover - Collage: Tom Simpson/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0); Flickr verified by UploadWizardCC-BY-SA-2.0Files from Flickr uploaded by Moheen;  Immortal-truth at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons; CHROMORANGE / franz perc / Alamy Stock Photo