Silvana Pampanini

"Simply Divine"

Rome 1925–2016. Stunning, voluptuous yet never vulgar. In France they called her “Ninì Pampan.” In 1946, at just twenty-one, the Miss Italia pageant flung open the doors of cinema for her a Cinderella grounded by strong family values and studies in singing at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia. The director reflects on how beauty can be both a springboard and a burden: audiences often overlook the sheer professionalism concealed behind an actress’s breathtaking curves. Silvana never set limits for herself: she played princesses and peasants alike, and worked alongside Totò, Jean Gabin, and Alberto Sordi. She turned down Hollywood “I had no wish to be exploited” and in 1958 directed a documentary on Giuseppe Verdi, winning the critics’ prize. In the mid-Sixties she left cinema to care for her ailing parents: a choice made out of love, and one that reveals the woman behind the star.

Protagonist: Silvana Pampanini

With the participation of: Franca Faldini, Liliana De Curtis, Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, Franco Interlenghi, Alberto Sordi, Renzo Musumeci Greco, Massimo Girotti

Script, screenplay, editing and direction: Donatella Baglivo

Executive producer: Jonathan Zonin

Directors of photography: Edmondo Pisani, Elio Bisignani, Roberto Romei

Camera operators: Gianni Maitan, Alfonso Feliziani

Camera assistant: Antonio Lalli

Assistant director: Maurizio Baglivo

Sound technicians: François Mazzon, Paolo Panno

Audio mixer: Francesco Brignola

Dialogue editing: Francesco Brignola, Marco De Stefanis

Titles: Marco De Stefanis

Editing assistant: Violetta De Toma

Opening theme music: Pietro Grignani

Original music: Pietro Grignani, Giuseppe Gandolfo

Historical archive supervisor: Kemal Tugal

Foreign film research: Jonathan Eugenio Zonin

Negative archive supervisor: Bianca Pupella

Post-production: CIAK 2000 S.r.l.

Music publishing: CIAK 2000

The production wishes to thank Silvana Pampanini for the generosity she showed in entrusting her personal memories to the audience.

Running time: 83′