The Early Days of Italian Cinema

Assia Noris in a 1938 Telefoni Bianchi film

My recent discovery of a 1915 silent film by Francesca Bertini piqued my curiosity about other lesser-known genres of Italian cinema. That curiosity led me on an adventure in which I discovered  genres such as Italian Futurism, Telefoni Bianchi, and Propaganda films.

Bertini's "Assunta Spina" boasts a melodic score and stunning cinematography that capture the Bay of Naples during an era when most of our America-bound ancestors were passing through. Filmmakers Bertini and Gustavo Serena created a timeless story of love, passion, and envy. The restored version shows images of Naples that are surprisingly clear for being shot 100 years ago. "Assunta Spina" was indeed ahead of its time, and Bertini was not shy in acknowledging it. In 1982, at the age of 90, she said in an interview, "It had been my idea to wander around Naples taking ordinary people from the streets. Now everyone’s invented Neorealism!" However, some may argue that point, and it's important to hear other perspectives. 

"The idea of neorealism as we know it may be unjustly limited to the period that comes directly after the Second World War, and it's understandable that Bertini would have such an attitude," said David Morea, the director of the new documentary, "Before Neorealism." But we should not confuse the use of realist aesthetics in films like 'Assunta Spina' with full-blown neorealism, which has a definite historical collocation and specific political qualities," he explained.

The silent era of Italian cinema had a profound impact on cinema worldwide. Martin Scorsese has praised the work of Giovanni Pastrone, director of the epic 1914 "Cabiria." He believes that with this work, Pastrone invented the epic movie and deserves credit for attributes such as "extensive use of a moving camera", which has often been given to D.W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille. Set in Sicily, Carthage, and Cirta during the Second Punic War (218 - 202 BC), the film was shot in Torino. The story follows an abducted child named Cabiria, and through her eyes, we see this incredible cinematic world: the tumultuous Mt. Etna, North African religious rituals, and the historic battles of the ancient Roman fleet. 

The notable predecessor to "Cabiria" is Enrico Guazzoni's "Quo Vadis?," which features 5,000 extras and has been called "the first blockbuster in the history of cinema." Due to its worldwide success, it was the first film to be projected at a mainstream Broadway theater. Guazzoni enjoyed a  9-month run of his film in New York from April to December of 1913. According to silent film expert Thomas Gladys, founder of the Louise Brooks Society, not only the big spectacles like those mentioned above reached American shores, but also smaller films were shown in neighborhood and ethnic theaters in the big cities. Then consider our beloved Rudolph Valentino; it's safe to say that Italy greatly influenced silent cinema in America. 

Regarding these first blockbusters, Morea said, "Quo Vadis?" is arguably the first global blockbuster and inspired generations of filmmakers with its grandiose vision. "I would argue that, from an aesthetic point of view, 'Cabiria' is more influential, especially if we compare it to D.W. Griffith’s 'Intolerance." But 'Quo Vadis?' set the bar for all cinematic super-spectacles."

Although short-lived, the next era to emerge was Italian Futurism, a film movement that lasted roughly from 1916 to 1919. 

The strongest characteristic of films in this genre is the set design, which followed the footsteps of futurist art. The sets featured geometric shapes with contrasting shades of black and white, abstract characters, and optical illusions. Most of these films were unfortunately lost except for one, "Thaïs," which is actually available to watch on YouTube. 

"Thaïs," also known as "Perfido incanto," was made in 1917 by Anton Giulio Bragaglia, a leading director of his time. Based on the novel by Anatole France, the plot follows Thaïs, a seductress who goes after married men. She is frivolous in her escapades until she seduces her best friend’s husband, which ultimately leads to the woman’s death. Overwhelmed by guilt and regret, Thaïs decides to take her own life in a dramatic final scene. Being the only surviving film of its genre, "Thaïs" is safely held at the Cinémathèque Française in Paris, which houses one of the most comprehensive cinema archives in the world. I watched the 35-minute film and found it interesting that in the opening credits, we see the George Eastman House, which makes me wonder why the film is no longer under their care. The quality is pretty low, but it’s fascinating to see it just for the historical value. Watch "Thaïs" on YouTube..

While Italy's Fascist government was constructing Cinecittà, it was also producing its own propaganda films, known as Telefoni Bianchi (White Telephones). This genre rose to prominence in the 1930s and featured wealthy, upper-class families with pristine-looking children. The sets were just as beautiful as the characters and featured the namesake white telephones. 

Morea offered insight into this genre. "The telefoni bianchi films were a series of escapist comedy films that were used as a means to control the consensus and dictate policy in a palatable way; they portrayed fascist society in a light that was acceptable to the regime: the men were athletic and the women were modern and self-sufficient yet both were confined to a working-class bubble that was penetrated merely by coincidence or happenstance which allowed them to experience the life of the upper-class bourgeoisie; a class which was greatly frowned upon by the regime—much as it is by any authoritarian government. The protagonists would meet a group of people whose interests deviated from the regime's political and ideological interests, and at the end of the films, they always choose a working-class love interest. Was it the filmmakers' intent at the time? I don't think so—they couldn't really produce stories outside this theme, and, at times, they would self-censor because they knew the protocol they had to adhere to. The response, in terms of Neorealism, was a literal and drastic aesthetic disconnect from the confinement that they had to follow in order to simply get a film made."



Fascist Propaganda from the Historical Archives of Istituto Luce

Morea went on to tell me about another genre I knew nothing about. "I think the most important kind of film to remember (apart from the telefoni bianchi films) is the documentaries and newsreels by the Istituto Luce, which, in terms of propaganda, were the driving force of imposing the ideals of the regime and celebrating their efforts; be it the construction of a train station or a sporting event."

I asked Morea if any of these propaganda films made it to American shores. "I'm not sure how many (very few if any) of these films made it stateside during this time; even though Mussolini made proud comments about how many Italian immigrants were in the United States. Either way, if they did make it to the US, they certainly weren't successful. We have to remember that America not only had its own escapist propaganda at the time and was also at war against the Nazis, and as Italy's involvement with Germany developed, an anti-Italian sentiment also increased in the US."

I also spoke with director Peter Miller, whose "Projections of America" features American propaganda starring the Italian expat composer Arturo Toscanini. The film was shown all over Italy shortly after the fall of Mussolini. I asked him about the similarities between Italian and American propaganda films. "The (propaganda films) of America were made by liberal American filmmakers who envisioned a pluralistic, democratic, multi-ethnic America- one that presented their nation as it could be if it were to live up to its ideals. I'm sure the Projections of America films were a contrast to the kinds of conservative cinema that Italian audiences were accustomed to from the fascist era, and they stood in great contrast to the Nazi propaganda films that were forced upon occupied European audiences."