On stage – RAI Press Office

Francesco D’Arma portrays a passionate portrait of the great Tuscan actress for “On stage”, produced by Rai Cultura under the direction of Monica Ghezzi, broadcast on Wednesday 20 July at 9.15 pm on Rai 5. Actress of race, versatile and sensitive, Ilaria Occhini was born in Florence in 1934 and made her debut in cinema at a very young age, in the early 1950s. Her nature had endowed her with breathtaking beauty and at the same time an innate flair for acting. Student of the National Academy of Dramatic Art, she meets Anton Giulio Majano, father of television dramas, by chance, who is immediately struck by the extraordinary qualities of this girl and assigns her the leading role in the TV reduction of the novel Jane Eyre. It is 1957 and suddenly Ilaria Occhini becomes a star, much loved by Italians. An out of the ordinary beauty, a Renaissance grace that conquers the television audience. But Occhini feels she is something else, she has an inner world rich in culture and sensitivity. The documentary explores this profound dimension, a constant search made of cultural commitment, talent and artistic expression to which the actress has dedicated her entire life, finding her discipline and her religion in the theater. Half a century of great shows, an existential journey that digs beyond the surface of the image of the beautiful diva to reach the unexplored territories where artistic truth emerges.

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