Gucci Funds Restortation of Classic Italian Movies and Films

Image courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox and Pathé

In partnership with the Film Foundation, a nonprofit arts organization started by Martin Scorsese, Gucci is funding the restoration of two classic Italian movies, Il Gattopardo and La Dolce Vita, this year. Here's a look at five films Gucci has given new life over the years.

Image courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox and Pathé

Il Gattopardo

Many classic motion pictures are in danger of being permanently lost due to the deterioration of their film. Since 2006, Gucci has helped preserve one classic film each year. The latest, a digitally restored version of Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), will be screened for the first time on May 14 at the Cannes Film Festival — the same place it premiered 47 years before. The following day, Frida Giannini, Gucci's creative director, will host a dinner celebrating the Film Foundation's 20th anniversary. To date, the foundation has saved more than 500 films.

Image courtesy of StudioCanal and Cineteca di Bologna

Senso

Last year, Gucci funded the restoration of Senso, an Italian period piece directed by Luchino Visconti, who also directed Il Gattopardo. Originally released in 1954, the romantic drama tells the story of a doomed love affair between an Italian countess and an Austrian officer.

Image courtesy of Leo Kazan, Marco Joachim and UCLA Film & Television Archive

Wanda

Written, directed, and produced by American actress Barbara Loden, the independent film Wanda was critically acclaimed when it was first released in 1970, winning the Venice Film Festival's International Critics' Prize. The feminist-influenced drama, which was restored in 2008, was the only movie that Loden directed before dying from breast cancer at 48.

Image courtesy of Titanus, Rai Cinema and Cineteca di Bologna

Le Amiche

Set in the northern Italian city of Turin, Le Amiche — or The Girlfriends — is a black-and-white melodrama that expertly juggles the stories of eight diverse characters. Originally released in 1955 and directed by the legendary Michelangelo Antonioni, the film was digitally restored in 2007.

A Woman Under the Influence

A Woman Under the Influence was the first feature film restoration funded by Gucci. The 1974 domestic drama was written and directed by American independent film pioneer John Cassavetes and starred his wife and muse, Gena Rowlands, as a mentally ill housewife. It was an art-house hit and critical success, earning Academy Award nominations for both Cassavetes (Best Director) and Rowlands (Best Actress).