AZTV7/Cable 13 & RTV 7.2/Cable 93, Phoenix-Prescott, AZVeteran Italian screenwriter Cecchi D'Amico dies
Member Center:
Kanye West says he 'bled hard' over Swift debacle, unleashes pain via Twitter More>>
Gunman mad over Discovery Channel programs takes hostages at its offices, is killed by police More>>
Police: Gunman holding 'small number of hostages' in Discovery Channel headquarters More>>
Police: Gunman in Discovery headquarters shot; 3 hostages able to escape safely More>>
Police: At least 1 person being held hostage by gunman in Discovery TV building in Md. More>>
Margaret Cho finds humor in serious topics on new album that combines comedy and music More>>
Roger Clemens enters not guilty plea on charges he lied to Congress about drug use More>>
'Mad Men' and 'Glee' stars among the trendsetters on Emmys red carpet in sunset shades More>>
ROME (AP) - 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 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."
Claudia Cardinale, who starred in "The Leopard," praised her deep culture and generosity. Zeffirelli called her "an extraordinary screenwriter" but also a good-hearted woman who was "a momand a sister to all of us."
Born Giovanna Cecchi in 1914 to a family of writers and intellectuals, she began working in cinema soon after the war. She quickly landed a high-profile job helping write the script for Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves," which was released in 1948 and became a manifesto for neo-realism.
She went on to a long career during which she often adapted literary works, including "The Stranger," ''The Taming of the Shrew" and books by Dostoevsky and Pirandello.
Cecchi D'Amico won several Italian awards and in 1994 the Venice Film Festival gave her a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement.
ANSA said she is survived by her three children. A funeral is scheduled for Monday in Rome.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
