Turin and Movie: an Old Relationship

By Connie
 "Cenisio film", "Itala", "Ridolfi Film", "Società Anonima Ambrosio," "Eula film", "Fert," "Film Artistica Gloria", names that few know, maybe just the cinema lovers. But right from these industries was born the movie business in Turin, first in Italy in early 900; a few years after the extraordinary invention of the Lumiere brothers. Turin has been capital of cinema and since several years it has been working to return to what was before the  First World War: city image of Italian movie industry

Mole Antonelliana and city skyline


Here made  the first national colossal: "Cabiria" (1914, Itala Film), directed by Mario Pastrone, screenplay by Gabriele D'Annunzio.
Here the founders of the "Società Anonima Ambrosio" began their adventure from a photo shop, in v. Santa Teresa, downtown the city.  In 1907 they moved the studios from via Nizza to the new soundstages in Borgo Dora districs, situated among the streets Verona, Catania and Cagliari. A large building of over 3000 square meters with modern equipmentss and in the close via Mantova, dressmaking workshops, dressing rooms, makeup room and services for the shooting. All at a stone's throw from the heart of the city.

Turin, in 1907, hosted the first national movie competition and, in 1911, members of the the jury, were L. Lumiere and P. Nadar, two famous names in the history of world cinema.
All this artistic and industrial ardor was short-term, because of the First World War. But, for those who love this art, many of these exciting films are preserved in the Museo Nazionale del Cinema Film Archive, located in via Sospello.
The headquarters of the famous  movie museum, which houses the permanent exhibition, is in via Montebello, inside the symbol of Turin, the Mole Antonelliana, kept in an amazing spiral that runs through five floors full of many movie wonders. Memorabilia, sketches of costumes, set designs, posters, scripts, contracts, autographs, collections that range from archeology to contemporary movie production. It’s a great feeling to see scarf and hat of F. Fellini, the M. Monroe’s bustier, the costumes of "Lawrence of Arabia" or C. Chaplin’s derby.

The Museum, founded in 1941 by Maria Adriana Prolo, is supported, in projections, by C the “Cinema Massimo”,  located near the Mole Antonelliana, in via Verdi.  Here we can see, almost every day of the year, retrospectives, reviews, meetings with directors and well-known names in international movie art and showbusiness.  Probably the most important event is the "Torino Film Festival".

But that’s not all. Thanks to the work of “Film commission Torino Piemonte”, our city’s landscapes are often chosen by film crews, including international productions that choose to show on the big screen glimpses of the ancient city, old industrial architectures or large green parks.

For instance I remember the robbery and pursuit of the Mini Cooper in "The Italian Job", directed by Peter Collinson, (1969) where you see the race track used years ago on the roof of the  FIAT Lingotto building. 

Or "The Emperor's New Clothes" (by Alan Taylor, 2001), a film about Napoleon shot in a downtown that seems to imitate old Paris. But the most touching movie about Turin, dedicated to this art, is written and directed by Davide Ferrario. "After Midnight" is a beautiful story of love and passion for movie where we can daydream into the Cinema Museum, walking along the rivers of Po and the typical streets and routes of the city.


For productions that require the latest technology and innovation here are the Virtual Reality & Multimedia Park and Lumiq Studios, born where once we had the glorious Fert Studios, in corso Lombardia, offering a swimming pool for underwater filming, 3D graphics laboratories, soundstages and virtual studios, the "blue box" (Europe's largest multi-function screening room) and every wonder of the latest movie technology. Of course this is not Hollywood and isin’t as famous as Cinecittà, but everything tell us that the golden age of cinema in Turin represents inspiration and pride for a great present and  future success of this city.
ZABAIONE  (or ZABAGLIONE)
Ingredients
(serves 4):
Eggs n 4
4 tablespoons sugar n
dry Marsala
PROCEDURE:
Break the egg yolks in a saucepan.
Add the sugarand beatwith alongwhipuntil the mixtureissoftandwellfitted. Addslowlyand stirring4 / 2shells ofdry Marsala wine
Putthe casserolein apancontainingboiling waterbiggerand puteverything onfire.Cook, stirring constantly with asmall whipthe cream
Whenthe zabaglionewill beginto thickenswelling, remove from heat andimmediatelypourinto alargebowlorfourcups
It goes withbiscuits, especially withthe sponge fingers
https://amorbis.infusionsoft.com/go/tin/conniermn/