In college, I knew a girl named Francesca. Nice name.Francesca Bertini was a star Italian actress during the earliest days of movies. She was a pioneer: the first actor to eschew large motions - which were designed for the stage - in favor of a natural style of acting. When movies became talkies, she continued on as a star. Mussolini's fascism, however, derailed the Italian movie industry and derailed Francesca's career. She refused to make another movie until 1976, when Bernardo Bertolucci cajoled her into a role in his Novecento. Francesca also submitted to extensive interviews for the documentary Behind the Screen: Stories of Cinema - The Last Diva (1982)
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I put up Francesca, partly, b/c it's Mother's Day weekend. Francesca's photo is shot from below. That's the angle which I, as a child, had when looking up at my mother. Francesca, in profile, reminds of Mom.
A photo of my Mom, Nancy, below. Compared to the onscreen Francesca: Mom is a bit taller, and Mom has more of a Dutch/Northern European look, as opposed to Francesca's Latin look. Still, in profile, I see resemblance - including even the sweep of the hairstyle on the sides.
Francesca in front of the camera:
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