 Waiting for her ship to come in. 
Promo shot of British actress Julie Christie on the set of Darling, the classic 1965 drama set in swinging London (and partly in Capri, above) about a model trying to sleep her way to the top. Christie was born in Chabua, British India, today in 1941.
 She has a few things to teach you about biology. 
Above, a nice photo of Italian actress Lilli Carati that appeared in a 1977 issue of Italian Playboy. Like many Italian actresses, Carati was first noticed in a beauty contest and went on to score a film contract, appearing in hit sex comedies such as La compagna di banco and La professoressa di scienze naturali. These were part of a strange sub-genre of school films—i.e. films set in high schools featuring precocious teens or sexy substitute teachers. In the latter example Carati played a teacher of natural sciences. We presume all her students graduated summa cum laude. She later appeared in a number of hardcore films and photo shoots, and we don't have to presume anything about those—cum laude or otherwise. She looks very nice here.
 Italian illustrator Mafé shows his genius again.  
We found two more Mafé one-sheets, and we’re now going to just go ahead and declare him the greatest illustrator of x-rated posters ever. He did non x-rated work too, but he flourished in porn, bringing a real elegance to the material, as you can see for yourself. He’s still a bit of a mystery to us, but we’re digging for more info. These two posters are circa mid-seventies, and you can see the other two Mafé pieces we posted here.
 She's the best thing in the woods since campfires and s'mores. 
Above, a photo of U.S.-born Italian/German actress Nadia Cassini, née Gianna Lou Muller, who was a major sex symbol of the 70s, appearing in films like Il dio serpente and Starcrash, but who retired young after plastic surgery left her facially disfigured. She's seen here circa 1973.
 Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi lets his inner horndog off the leash.  We’ve posted about Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi before, but unfortunately we have to feature him anew, because once again he has made jaws drop internationally. This time, he has unveiled a list of party candidates for the upcoming Italian elections, and he is endorsing a weather girl and a beauty pageant contestant, among others. We’ve been told by our elders that once upon a time actual experience was a prerequisite for political office, but we don’t believe that. We’re part of the generation that understands such positions have no prerequisites. Nicole Minetti, top left, was a dentist’s assistant when Berlusconi spotted her last month while he was having two broken teeth repaired after being hit in the face with a statuette. We can picture the scene: high on ether, Berlusconi gets an eyeful of young boobage and realizes if he wants to see them again he'll have to concoct a scheme that doesn't involve having his teeth drilled each time. But Minetti isn’t the only woman to make Berlusconi’s pulse quicken. With a veteran horndog’s flawless eye for subjects on whom to test his Cialis, he has also chosen to back former Miss Italy finalist Italia Caruso, ex-model Graziana Capone, and ex-nightclub hostess and weathergirl Giovanna Del Guidice. This marks Berlusconi’s second attempt to turn the Italian legislature into his personal harem. Last year he offered up a group of showgirls for election but dropped them after his wife called him trashy. Berlusconi solved that problem by not contesting her divorce petition. Now nothing stands in the way of his bodacious dream government except political opposition. He’s dealing with that by branding attacks against his candidates as sexist, and in fairness to the women involved, Berlusconi has also floated unqualified men for party positions, including Giorgio Puricelli, the physiotherapist for his football club AC Milan. But there’s a twisted genius to that selection—after all, Berlusconi is seventy-three, and he’ll need major work on his sacroiliac if his fantasies materialize. In the meantime, whether the attacks against his candidates are sexist or not, he still can’t explain why a dental hygienist with no previous interest in politics, and whom he met a mere month ago during a drug-induced stupor, is qualified to represent the Italian people. Nor can he present a convincing argument for why he seems to have ignored women who don’t look like models, even though such women make up the vast majority of the population, even in fashionable Italy. Frankly, we suspect he isn’t going to try. Elderly billionaires tend to take offense when asked to explain their actions. One thing is certain—if Berlusconi’s appetites make him, Italian politics, and Italy in general look utterly ridiculous, well then, “Que sera sera.” For those that don’t speak Italian, that translates, roughly, as “Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.”
 Vai con Connery. 
Sleeve of Italian pop performer Fabrizio Ferretti's 1966 single "Operazione Tuono", aka "Thunderball", with a flip side of "L'amore" by Memo Remigi.
 Argento’s first film was among his most restrained and most successful.  
Above we've posted two Spanish one-sheets for El Pajaro de las Plumas de Cristal, aka L’uccello dale piume de cristallo, aka The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. This was horror grandmaster Dario Argento’s first film, a thriller in the Hitchcockian mode about an American in Italy who witnesses an attempted murder. The police make him stay in the country, the would-be killer soon begins stalking him. After an attempt on his life he realizes unmasking the maniac himself is probably his best defense. This was the beginning of a storied career for Argento. In subsequent efforts, he would explore realms of gore Hitchcock probably never dreamt of, but in this early effort he relies on mood to achieve his goals, and the English language version mostly succeeds despite the distraction of some less than breathtaking dubbing. Overall, we consider this well worth a viewing, imperfections and all. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage premiered in Italy today in 1970. Turning to the poster art, it was painted by another grandmaster, Spanish illustrator Francisco Fernandez Zarza-Pérez, who worked under the pseudonym Jano—aka Janus, the two-faced Roman god of doorways, arches, beginnings and endings. Jano painted thousands of pieces beginning in the 1940s, and we’ve cobbled a few more together and posted them below for you to enjoy this lovely Friday. More on Jano later.
         
 You can run from your past, but you can’t hide. 
Liliana Cavani’s controversial drama Il portiere di notte, aka The Night Porter, is a landmark of Italian cinema, and another of those seventies films that could never be made today. It involves the sado-masochistic relationship between a concentration camp survivor, played by Charlotte Rampling, and a former camp officer, played by Dirk Bogarde. The camp is eventually liberated, but the Nazi manages to escape the Allies. Postwar he builds a normal-seeming life but must carefully hide his former identity. Meanwhile, the woman builds a normal-seeming marriage, but conceals her psychological scars. In Vienna years later, the woman is shocked to encounter the Nazi again, and soon their destructive codependency is rekindled. The amazing promo poster above uses a frame from the movie’s pivotal scene, a flashback in which Rampling performs a striptease wearing an SS uniform, after which her captor rewards her á la Salomé with the head of a prisoner who has been tormenting her. Il portiere di notte is dark, slow, and deadly serious, but for the true film buff it’s probably a must-see. It was generally well-reviewed upon release, but there were also slams from a few major critics. In the end, you’ll have to make your own decision. Il portiere di notte premiered in West Germany yesterday, 1974.
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The headlines that mattered yesteryear.
1927—La Lollo Is Born
Gina Lollobrigida is born in Subiaco, Italy, and eventually becomes one of the world's most famous and desired actresses. Later she becomes a photojournalist, numbering among her subjects Salvador Dali, Paul Newman and Fidel Castro. 1931—Schmeling Retains Heavyweight Title
German boxer Max Schmeling TKOs his U.S. opponent Young Stribling in the fifteenth round to retain the world heavyweight boxing title he had won in 1930. Schmeling eventually tallies fifty-six wins, forty by knockout, along with ten losses and four draws before retiring in 1948. 1969—Stones Guitarist Is Found Dead
Brian Jones, a founding member of British rock group Rolling Stones, is found at the bottom of his swimming pool at Crotchford Farm, East Sussex, England. The official cause of his death is recorded as misadventure from ingesting various drugs. 1937—Amelia Earhart Disappears
Amelia Earhart fails to arrive at Howland Island during her around the world flight, prompting a search for her and navigator Fred Noonan in the South Pacific Ocean. No wreckage and no bodies are ever found. 1964—Civil Rights Bill Becomes Law
U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Bill into law, which makes the exclusion of African-Americans from elections, schools, unions, restaurants, hotels, bars, cinemas and other public institutions and facilities illegal. A side effect of the Bill is the immediate reversal of American political allegiance, as most southern voters abandon the Democratic Party for the Republican Party. 1997—Jimmy Stewart Dies
Beloved actor Jimmy Stewart, who starred in such films as Rear Window and Vertigo, dies at age eighty-nine at his home in Beverly Hills, California of a blood clot in his lung.
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