ANNA MARIA ORTESE E IL CINEMA

Abstract

Ortese’s relationship with cinema was more occasional and less prominent than that of other writers of her generation. Nevertheless, several articles published in the magazine Film in early 1945 are of considerable interest — particularly the short story Cinema e vita, which reveals the crucial role of cinema in shaping her imaginative world. In Ortese’s writings from the 1950s, cinema becomes a cultural phenomenon, linked to the figure of the engaged intellectual and the season of Neorealism, while the author’s own reflections highlight her somewhat marginal position within this context. The essay also examines Ortese’s enigmatic collaboration on the screenplay for Fabio De Agostini’s film Lauta mancia, which displays striking affinities with her poetic universe.