The Blonde (1993 film)

The Blonde
Theatrical release poster
ItalianLa bionda
Directed bySergio Rubini
Written by
  • Gianfilippo Ascione
  • Umberto Marino
  • Sergio Rubini
Produced byDomenico Procacci
Starring
CinematographyAlessio Gelsini Torresi
Edited byAngelo Nicolini
Music byJürgen Knieper
Production
company
Distributed byPenta Film
Release date
  • 12 March 1993 (1993-03-12)
Running time
  • 121 minutes (Italian cut)[1]
  • 98 minutes (intl. cut)[2]
CountryItaly
LanguageItalian
BudgetL.7 billion[3]
Box officeL.342.2 million[1]

The Blonde (Italian: La bionda) is a 1993 Italian thriller film directed by Sergio Rubini and co-written by Rubini, Filippo Ascione and Umberto Marino.[4] It stars Nastassja Kinski as the titular blonde, a woman who loses her memory after an accident; Rubini as the man responsible for the accident which takes an interest in her while she recovers; and Ennio Fantastichini as her original love interest.[3][4][5]

Plot

Cast

Production

Development

Sergio Rubini first met Nastassja Kinski while filming Federico Fellini's Intervista (1987), which was produced by her husband Ibrahim Moussa, and later conceived The Blonde with her in mind for the role of Christine after she expressed admiration for his directorial debut The Station (1990).[3][4] As with The Station, the film was produced by Domenico Procacci for Fandango,[4][5] marking his fifth feature as a producer.[6]

Filming

Principal photography began in February 1992[5] and concluded in July 1992,[3][7] taking place primarily in Milan.[4][5] The car-crash scene was shot on the Autostrada A26 junction near Ghevio, a frazione of Meina.[7][8][9]

The production quickly fell behind schedule,[5] due in part to the relative inexperience of both Procacci and Rubini,[4] as well as the decision to shoot most scenes outdoors and at night, which introduced additional challenges related to weather conditions and urban nightlife.[4][5] The self-described perfectionism of Rubini and cinematographer Alessio Gelsini Torresi further contributed to delays, with Procacci also pressing for reshoots.[4] Filming ultimately lasted 19 weeks,[3] well over the 10 weeks originally projected by Procacci,[4] with the budget ballooning[4] to 7 billion liras.[3] Procacci later remarked: "[I came out] feeling 20 years older. I managed to amass all the mistakes a producer can make in an entire career, and then some".[4]

Filming was further disrupted in May 1992 by Kinski's sudden departure for the United States, where she fled with her two children after Italian authorities revoked her custody following charges of child neglect and abduction leveled at her by Moussa; the two were entering divorce proceedings after Kinski's affair with Quincy Jones had been made public months earlier.[5][8][9][7][10] The warrant was overturned in July 1992,[11] allowing her to return to Italy and complete the shoot.[3]

Release

Initially aimed for a September 1992 release,[12] the film was eventually released in Italy by Penta Film on 12 March 1993.[4] It was sold internationally at the Marché du Film of the 1994 Cannes Film Festival in a 20 minutes-shorter cut.[2]

Reception

The film emerged as a huge box office bomb,[13] grossing just L.342.2 million[1] domestically, on a budget of L.7 billion.[3] Procacci's Fandango was almost bankrupted.

References

  1. ^ a b c Poppi, Roberto; Pecorari, Mario; Lancia, Enrico (1991). Dizionario del cinema italiano: I film. Vol. 6/1: Dal 1990 al 2000. A-L (in Italian). Rome: Gremese Editore. p. 109—110. ISBN 9788884400857.
  2. ^ a b Rooney, David (20 June 1994). "The Blonde". Variety. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Fusco, Maria Pia (8 July 1992). "Incontrare Nastassia e poi..." [To meet Nastassja and...]. La Repubblica (in Italian). p. 30. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Fusco, Maria Pia (10 March 1993). "I due volti di Nastassja" [The two faces of Nastassja]. La Repubblica (in Italian). p. 28. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Caprara, Fulvia (15 February 1992). "Kinski bionda smemorata è sospesa tra due amori" [Kinski is an amnesiac blonde torn between two lovers]. La Stampa (in Italian). p. 20. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  6. ^ Fusco, Maria Pia (5 December 1991). "Franco Cristaldi torna a produrre" [Franco Cristaldi back to producing]. La Repubblica (in Italian). p. 39. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Bottelli, Sandro (16 June 1992). "Al Sempione si gira con Nastassja Kinski" [Shooting underway at Sempione for Nastassja Kinski film]. La Stampa (in Italian). p. 44. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  8. ^ a b Bottelli, Sandro (11 June 1992). "Scontro al casello, ma è un film" [Car crashes at toll booth, it's only a movie]. La Stampa (in Italian). p. 43. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  9. ^ a b Arbeia, Maria Paola (5 June 1992). "Aspettando Nastassja Kinski" [Waiting for Nastassja Kinski]. La Stampa (in Italian). p. 39. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  10. ^ "'Nastassja riporti i figli a Roma'" ['Nastassja must bring the kids back to Rome', says judge]. La Repubblica (in Italian). 16 May 1992. p. 24. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  11. ^ Robiony, Simonetta (10 July 1992). "Nastassja riconquista i figli" [Nastassja reigains child custody]. La Stampa (in Italian). p. 15. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  12. ^ Baldo, Ernesto (16 June 1992). "Verdone e Salvatores sfidano Alien" [Verdone and Salvatores against Alien]. La Stampa (in Italian). p. 22. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  13. ^ Montini, Franco (2002). Il cinema italiano del terzo millennio (in Italian). Turin: Lindau. p. 132. ISBN 9788871804286.
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