Monica Vitti allo specchio. Le fotografie fuori scena di L’avventura dell’Archivio Enrico Appetito

In the photographic series of L’avventura, shot by official still photographer Enrico Appetito, the image of Monica Vitti in front of the mirror is recurrent, especially in backstage photographs. This article presents the different typologies of the “Monica Vitti in front of the mirror” pictures and places them in an interpretive framework that takes into account Italian film photography of the time and the more general context of the promotion of stardom. The topos appears to be significant not only in relation to the film, but also in regard to the portrayal of the actress in magazines, which the article briefly considers. The research seeks to highlight a whole series of references in Appetito’s photographic composition, primarily Hollywood glamour photographers and Italian portrait photographers. It also examines the element of the mirror as a metaphor of the double involving both the themes of acting and stardom and the character of Claudia. In conclusion, Appetito’s shots that include Monica Vitti in the mirror prove, on the one hand, the disruptive character of the Tetralogy performer’s stardom and, on the other hand, the autonomous discourses developed by still photography, even though these images are intimately connected to the poetics, the production, and the reception context of the film.