Tributes paid to De Laurentiis at producer's funeral
Film directors David Lynch and Baz Luhrmann, together with actor turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, have paid tribute to Dino De Laurentiis at the producer's funeral in Los Angeles.
Lynch, who worked with the mogul on Blue Velvet and Dune, said he was "a man filled with the love of life".
Governor Schwarzenegger, who made four films with the Italian, said he had "unbelievable memories" of the man.
De Laurentiis died last week in Los Angeles at the age of 91.
Some of the congregation wore red at Monday's service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels at his family's request.
A statement released on Friday said the producer "did not want to be met with a sea of black."
"Dino was like a steamroller working, dreaming and thinking the movies," continued Lynch, sentiments echoed by Australian film-maker Luhrmann.
The Moulin Rouge director said he had been able "to blend effortlessly, without any effort whatsoever, life, art and family."
Schwarzenegger drew laughter from the congregation when he imitated De Laurentiis's Italian accent.
"He never feared failure," said the former movie star, who worked with the late producer on Conan the Barbarian and its sequel.
Yet it was Lynch who waxed most lyrical about his former colleague, calling him "energetic, childlike, powerful, kind, unstoppable, charming, opinionated, fair-minded [and] fun-loving".
He was, he went on, "an entrepreneur, a family man, a workaholic, a sharp dresser, a practical joker, a dreamer, a producer, a gourmet, a showman, a deal maker, a risk taker, a giver [and] a taker."
Born near Naples in 1919, De Laurentiis began his career in Italy working with Roberto Rossellini and Federico Fellini.
After moving to the US in the 1970s, he oversaw films such as Serpico, Death Wish and the 1976 remake of King Kong starring Jeff Bridges.