The scene that made film history

This morning, Anita Ekberg died in a hospital in Italy. She turned 83. But for us, she actually always remained 28 and stood forever in the Trevi Fountain.
Ekberg began her career as Miss Sweden and left for the US armed with that title. There, she played a number of small film roles in which she mainly had to be beautiful. She succeeded wonderfully. A few years later, she emigrated to Italy where her career really took off. She worked with King Vidor, Dino Risi, Romolo Guerrieri but especially with Fellini. Fellini made her an icon. With him, she became the most beautiful woman in the entire universe and also in the most beautiful fountain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o15UTomYsc

At La Dolce Vita Ekberg plays a Swedish-American actress who is chased by pushy journalists, including Marcello Mastroiani's character. Sylvia, played by Ekberg, flees the wild hordes and her irritating lover and spends the evening with Marcello. Leading up to the Trevi scene, she walks through the city in the famous black dress with a white fur trim and a white kitten. The white meowing kitten resembles both the fur and the actress in her hunger for attention. When Sylvia sees the fountain, she has to go in. The kitten is put down on the pavement and given milk by Marcello. And then Marcelo is enticed to step into the fountain too. So simple and so classic. Two people in a fountain. Two people who don't want to be with their beloved. Overwhelmed by beauty, and embodying beauty themselves. Even if you've never seen the film, you know the picture. That magisterial woman, that beautiful dress (the film won an Oscar for costumes), that bosom.

Two years ago, Anita Ekberg was in Amsterdam for the opening of the Fellini retrospective. A scratchy octogenarian in a wheelchair. Gravity affected that bosom and face. But still. What a woman, what a diva! She had a lot of notes to sing and, according to the rumour mill, she was a little disappointed that there were no limousines for her and no hordes of screaming fans. But she did have a grateful audience to whom she got to tell 1 more time how awful it was to run this scene. It was freezing cold and while Mastroiani waited for a dry suit, she just stood in the fountain. Because in the end, that was all we wanted to hear. That scene, where actress and role coincided perfectly afterwards.