Sophia Loren lashes Tarantino

Sydney -- Italian movie icon Sophia Loren had strong words for director Quentin Tarantino over his recent claim that Italian cinema was dead.

"How dare he, how dare he talk about Italian cinema when he doesn't know anything about American cinema" Loren told a news conference in Australia.

The 72-years-old actress, in Sydney to open the Italo-Australian Film Festival, praised the work of a new generation of film stars and the "many great things" about Italian cinema today.

Tarantino, speaking at the Cannes Film Festival last week, said he was appalled at the state of Italian movie-making.

Loren also told reporters she had been joking when she offered to do a striptease if her favorite soccer team, Napoli, won promotion in the Italian League.

But, pressed if she would ever disrobe for the team of her choice, she said "one never knows ... life is really fun sometimes."

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.