Wertmüller, Lina, 1928–2021, Italian film director, b. Archangela as Felice Assunta Wertmüller von Elgg Spañol von Braucich. In the 1970s she became known for her surreal comedies, which include The Seduction of Mimi (1972), Love and Anarchy (1973), Swept Away (1974), and Seven Beauties (1975), which earned her a nomination for a Best Director Oscar, the first female to be so honored. Although she continued to make films, she never recaptured her early success. Her later works include Softly, Softly (1985), Summer Night (1986), and Ciao, Professore (1994). She received an honorary Oscar and was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, both in 2019.
See The Screenplays of Lina Wertmüller (1977); studies by E. Ferlita and J. R. May, The Parables of Lina Wertmüller (1977), P. Bondanella, Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to the Present (1990), G. R. Bullaro, Man in Disorder: The Cinema of Lina Wertmüller in the 1970s (2007); Behind the White Glasses (doc. film, 2016).
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