Rome: Screenwriter Suso Cecchi D`Amico, who
emerged from the male-dominated post-war Italian cinema to
become a celebrated artist and contribute to such milestones
as "Bicycle Thieves" and "The Leopard," died on Saturday at age 96.
Cecchi D`Amico died in her hometown, Rome, the ANSA news
agency said, citing her family. No cause of death was given.
Cecchi D`Amico worked with some of the most renowned
Italian directors, including Franco Zeffirelli, Michelangelo
Antonioni and Mario Monicelli, whose movie "Casanova 70"
earned her an Oscar nomination.
She was equally successful at writing scripts for
neo-realistic movies, art-house films and comedies such as
"Big Deal on Madonna Street." Her work helped make the Italian
post-war movie scene a vibrant and innovative one.
"It was an extraordinary generation, not just for
cinema," said longtime friend Monicelli, himself in his 90s.
"That generation grew out of dramatic events such as
Fascism and war," he said, but "those minds put Italy back on
its feet, finding a new way to do things, to produce."
A long partnership with Luchino Visconti became a
defining element in Cecchi D`Amico`s career, spanning more
than two decades and several movies. Among other titles, she
contributed to "The Leopard," the sumptuous depiction of the
decline of a Sicilian aristocratic family based on the book by
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and starring Burt Lancaster and
Alain Delon.
Condolences poured in.
President Giorgio Napolitano said Cecchi D`Amico was a
"great protagonist of one of the best seasons of Italian
cinema."
PTI
