Industry, co-production and agency: Gina Lollobrigida in documents

This article analyses the star image of Gina Lollobrigida by examining the main lines of collaboration between the Italian and the French film industry in the 1950s and then the star career of Gina Lollobrigida within that particular industrial context. It does so by presenting findings from a range of relevant documentation, from production files to film festival reports, selected for their capacity to illuminate the evolution of Lollobrigida's career. This approach enhances our understanding of the process of construction of this particular star image, and more generally gives greater clarity to the production practices that shape the distinctive nature of European stardom.