Wertmüller, known for films like « Seven Beauties » and « Swept Away, » died this week. In 1977, she became the first woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best DIrector.
She was 93, according to Variety. Wertmüller made films that were both debased and staunch in their moral standing, condemned and adored, with pitch-black endings preceded by comedic beats. The director with the white-rimmed specs was known for a style and substance that demanded colorful descriptors — like, « grotesque poetry. » « Opaque, despairing, bottomless. » Just plain « vulgar » and « deforming. » The last two came from Wertmüller herself. « I think I have two souls, » Wertmüller told Criterion in 2017 ahead of a retrospective of her films. « One is playful, ironic, with a sense of humor. The other is in contact with the dramatic face of life and human problems around the world. The two natures live in me and never abandon me. My films might reflect this personality unconsciously. » Her films were divisive, but she found an international audience: She was the first woman to be nominated for a best director Oscar for her film « Seven Beauties. » Her films were politically minded sex farces Wertmüller began her career in drama believing she was going to be an actress, studying at the Pietro Sharoff Theatre Academy. She quickly realized, she told Interview Magazine, that directing was where her talents resided. Friends introduced her to the revered filmmaker Federico Fellini, with whom she worked on « 8 ½ » as his assistant director. She went on to shoot her first film, « The Lizards, » with many of the crew members she met on « 8 ½.
