It's not surprising that film producer Dino De Laurentiis (who died Nov. 10 at 91) was responsible for movies as disparate as "La Strada" (1954) and "Barbarella" (1968). Art, which may not succeed at the box office, needs to be paid for by movies likely to rake in handsome profits. De Laurentiis was a man of taste and a down-to-earth businessman.
Cecil B. DeMille might have applauded him for his showmanship and exuberance: C'mon, Conan (of "Conan the Barbarian," 1982), bite that vulture again!
michael g. driver
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