Italian postcard by Bromofoto, Milano, no. 1431. Photo: Vides.
Italian postcard by Ballerini & Fratini, Firenze, no. 3629. Photo: Vides.
Italian postcard by Bromofoto, Milano, no. 1682.
Italian postcard by Rotalfoto, Milano, no. 1029.
German postcard by Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft, Berlin Tempelhof, no. 4970. Photo: Fried Agency.
Someone special among Italian actresses
When I was a child, I knew Claudia Cardinale from the entertaining films which were often shown on French TV, such as the swashbuckling adventure yarn Cartouche (1962) with Jean-Paul Belmondo, the circus centered epic Circus World (1964) with John Wayne and Rita Hayworth, or the Western spoof Les Pétroleuses (1971) with Brigitte Bardot. Later, of course, I would see Claudia Cardinale in more demanding offerings, directed by people such as Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini, Mauro Bolognini or Sergio Leone.
For French-speaking audiences, Claudia Cardinale has always been someone special among Italian actresses. Raised in Tunisia, then a French Protectorate, she only learned Italian much later and spoke perfect French since childhood. This enabled her to star in French films and to appear in popular TV programs such as Les rendez-vous du dimanche, Numéro 1, Champs-Élysées, Le divan, Sacrée soirée, Studio Gabriel, Les enfants de la télé, Tout le monde en parle, Thé ou café, Vivement dimanche, etc. Few people could resist her radiant personality.
In 1977, French producer Léo Carrier convinced her to go disco. So, the single 'Love Affair' was released and was a club hit. The lyrics were no big shakes, to say the least, but who cared? Disco was fun, rhythm, escapism, sensuality and was not made for deep intellectual thinking. I bought the record at the time ... and I still have it.
In 1996, she was chosen to present an honorary César Award to Henri Verneuil, who had directed her in Les lions sont lâchés (1961), Mayrig (1991) and 588, rue Paradis (1992). He declared: "She was 20 years old when I worked with her for the first time. When she smiled, it was as if the sun rose over the palm trees of Tunisia. I’ve found her years later. She had become the international star you all know. And the sun still rises when she smiles. Thank you, Claudia".
In 2017, the official poster of the Cannes Film Festival featured a 1959 photo of Claudia dancing on a rooftop in Rome. In 2019, President Emmanuel Macron promoted her to Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour. She chose to spend the last years of her life in Nemours, in a former tannery transformed into a friendly space, where she could enjoy a simple and happy life. This place also became the seat of the 'Fondazione Claudia Cardinale', dedicated to supporting contemporary art.
German postcard by Kolibri Verlag, no. 1505.
German postcard by Kolibri Verlag, no. 1619.
German postcard by Rüdel Verlag, no. 3561. Photo: PALLAS / Vogelmann. Claudia Cardinale in Cartouche (Philippe de Broca, 1962).
Spanish postcard by Bergas Ind. Graf., no. 870.
Spanish postcard by Archivo Bermejo, no. C173.
Spanish postcard by Oscarcolor, no. 343. Claudia Cardinale and Alain Delon.
German postcard by Kolibri Verlag, no. 2262. Photo: Rank. Claudia Cardinale in Circus World (Henry Hathaway, 1964).
German postcard by Kolibri Verlag, no. 2465.
German postcard by Kolibri Verlag, no. 2544. Photo: Universal International. Claudia Cardinale in Blindfold (Philip Dunne, 1966).
German postcard by Rüdel Verlag, no. 4188. Photo: Bronston / Rank.
German postcard by Rüdel Verlag, no. 4188. Photo: Universal-Film. Claudia Cardinale in The Hell with Heroes (Joseph Sargent, 1968).
Romanian postcard by Casa Filmului Acin.
Spanish postcard by Imprime Graficas Torroba. This postcard is part of a series which was produced in the mid-1970s for the Spanish men’s magazine Divachistes. All of them have one uneven border on the left side. They were bound to the magazine and were tear-off postcards.
Vintage Keyring.
A bit worn-out front cover of my 'Love Affair' single, which I bought in 1977.
Text, postcards and other memorabilia: Marlene Pilaete.
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