Talk:Sophia Loren

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Lead image

Before an edit war starts, the current image is somewhat outdated, large and a bit unprofessional. I found a more recent one with better quality. Thoughts? TDKR Chicago 101 (talk) 15:40, 10 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Seems more suitable. No one intervened here so I think it can be changed. 〜イヴァンスクルージ九十八［IvanScrooge98］（会話） 06:40, 30 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Found a picture from the same series which seemed better. Asked for cropping and now we have this file. I changed the image in the article. 〜イヴァンスクルージ九十八［IvanScrooge98］（会話） 13:54, 22 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I changed it back to the 1959 image, sorry guys if I upset anyone. The user "Magnins" never bothered going to the talk page to change an image that was main for roughly 3 years. His/her rationale of an older image being "inappropriate to use for a celebrity who is still alive and still in the public eye" is utter nonsense. We all know Sophia is alive, and still working. Using a great older image isn't inappropriate in the least. But then, when a famous star passes away, this mindset "oh, now let's use an image from when they were younger" makes it suddenly okay? It baffles me. Michael0986 (talk) 07:22, 7 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Michael0986: I don’t agree with the rationale being “utter nonsense”. I wouldn’t call it inappropriate to use an older picture, but a reader may want to know what the subject looks like at the moment they are reading the article; then, once a person is dead, we decide what image is the most representative considering their life overall. ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 19:31, 9 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

So, an amateurish photo, which will more than likely will be updated once every couple of months, is preferable to a classical image of Sophia in her prime and instantly recognizable, looking into the camera? Most wikis seem to use the 1986 Allan Warren portrait, or the 1959 image. Was there ever a vote on this at least? A random user decided the 1959 image was "inappropriate", and this is now the mindset it seems. Michael0986 (talk) 22:20, 9 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I honestly don’t know if there was a vote (I just came to the page and saw a bad photo was being used), but we can discuss it now; that’s why this thread has been opened in the first place. Again, I don’t agree that the old photo is inappropriate, but there are good reasons to keep the present one, which is professional (not amateurish) and recent enough to present the subject as she is now; the picture most likely won’t be updated every couple months considering the one previous to this talk was from years before and this one is from 7 years ago. ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 22:30, 9 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Points well made. I'm still not in agreeance with this current image being appropriate for a lead, I enjoy the "wow factor" of a main image. Whether it's Sophia, or Joan Collins, which is an example of a main image I love. I'm not a fan of this trend of representing someone as they appear now for the sake of it, regardless if the image is good or not. Yeah, maybe the current image isn't as bad as I make it out to be, but a memorable image? Nah. That's just me though.Michael0986 (talk) 22:41, 9 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, Michael. There does seem to have been disagreement in the past as to what lead image use and I agree the one from 1959 is by far her best portrait along with Alan Warren’s, but just for reference this is what I found back in June when I changed it. So I think a fairly recent professional photo like the present one (of which I liked the angle and background compared to the one originally proposed here) is a good compromise. We shall see what happens later on if anyone objects; in any case I have no doubts that the 1959 portrait is the one this project will stick to when Loren is no longer with us. ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 22:52, 9 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

"One of the 50 Greatest American Screen Legends"

The lead section claims "With a career spanning over 70 years, she was named by the American Film Institute as one of the 50 Greatest American Screen Legends and is the only living person on that list.". Don't these claims need some kind of source(s)? When anyone dies, Wikipedia generally needs a source to support that, so I'm not sure how the words "is the only living person on that list" constitute a "fact" rather than another claim. Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 08:33, 2 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

p.s. I think these are legitimate questions and I'm not sure why I have now been accused of "splitting hairs" and "trolling". Martinevans123 (talk) 08:36, 2 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yours6700 your edit summary at 09:09 today said: "Simply click AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars for verification. It's a fact, not a claim." While I'd agree that it's quite clear at the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars article that Loren is the sole survivor, by a process of elimination, I'm not sure that's an adequate substitute for actual sources in this article. Martinevans123 (talk) 08:51, 2 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I reverted the article to a previous version. There was a clear citation and it was removed; this happened amid other minor disruptions on wording, photos and spelling. ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 19:20, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. But I'm not sure whether that source, dated 16 June 1999, supports the claim that she is "is one of the last surviving stars". In fact, that claim now seems to be outdated, as she is now the last. The additional issue is that the claim needs to be made, and sourced, in the article main body, not just in the lead section? Any further suggestions? Martinevans123 (talk) 19:40, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I think that’s the reason why the original wording as I restored it is not about the specific list but in general about the Hollywood Golden Age. I’m also not sure where in the article body we could have this particular piece of information. Maybe under “Later career”? ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 19:49, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Nevermind, just noticed some of it is already there, we just need to put the source. ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 19:50, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

She is no longer "one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema". All the others are dead. Martinevans123 (talk) 19:54, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I think Mel Brooks, Dick Van Dyke or Clint Eastwood might disagree with you on this ;) Anyway I’m trying to look for a recent source including Loren among the living stars. ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 20:01, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Wow IvanScrooge98. You've certainly demonstrated your naivete with this comment! Those guys are no more golden age than Mia Farrow or Candice Bergen. Being over 90 does not suddenly make them part of an era they had zero to do with. I would recommend refraining from topics about which you lack familiarity. You're so far off the mark. Yours6700 (talk) 00:22, 5 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

This is borderline a personal attack and not a good start as our first interaction. Those actors already worked in cinema during those years, period. ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 09:33, 5 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I suspect the claim is, in some way, meant to reflect this article: AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars? But that's just a guess, based on the edit summary left by User:Yours6700 here. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:05, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Added a couple of sources. I hope this doesn’t end up being WP:CIRCULAR since the first page explicitly cites Wikipedia as its source for the images. ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 20:21, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Oh dear. I'm now thinking that the mention of those claims in the lead section might need to be entirely re-considered. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:25, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

To be fair, the Fox News article seems earnest. But my bad for adding the second one, we’re probably better off without it. ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 20:30, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I think the current version is a real improvement. But all any claims and sources also need to appear in the main body. Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:32, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yup, I’m aware. I think the problem is that this claim involves at the same time her prime career from decades ago and the current state of affairs, so it’s a bit tricky to find a proper spot to place it that isn’t a “trivia” section or something. Also because it’s not really trivia. ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 20:37, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I quite agree. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:41, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

As I type, we have that she is "one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema". I can certainly live with that. But the other expression "one of the 50 Greatest American Screen Legends" is problematical, and I hope it stays out. She hasn't been active in a long time, and many younger people would never have heard of her (just as they've never heard of The Beatles). If they happen upon this article by chance, they would read that and think that she's an American. It has to be parsed as [American Screen] Legends, not American [Screen Legends]. But how would anyone unfamiliar with her know to do that? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 20:58, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Jack. Yes, quite agree. Martinevans123 (talk) 21:02, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Well, the opening is very clear about her nationality – and, as an Italian, I couldn’t be happier – as well as where she worked. But I agree that would be poorly worded. ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 21:05, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

"Golden Age" is a subjective label with no clear definition; most consider it to be the 1930s-40s, not the 1950s when Loren started. There is no need to shoehorn the airy fairy "classical Hollywood cinema" verbiage into the lead, either. Mentioning that the AFI named her one of the 50 greatest screen legends is enough for the lead. Anything extra is WP:BLOAT. Yours6700 (talk) 00:41, 5 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I questioned that wording three days ago. You removed my tag an hour later? Martinevans123 (talk) 06:46, 5 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Yours6700: kindly stop edit warring. Your bold edits have been reverted multiple times. It’s on you to discuss here to change the consensus per WP:BRD. ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 09:34, 5 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Also, stop replacing the iconic Alan Warren photo from 1986 – with the pretext that it “does not illustrate” her later career – with an unrelated bad quality photo. ~ IvanScrooge98 (talk) 09:37, 5 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

We seem to have some WP:OWN and WP:CIVIL issues going on here. Martinevans123 (talk) 09:42, 5 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]