La presa di Roma
R: Filoteo Alberini. K: Filoteo Alberini. D: Ubaldo Maria Del Colle, Carlo Rosaspina. P: Alberini & Santoni, Roma. It 1905 (Fragment)
Print: Cineteca Nazionale

La presa di Roma gilt als der erste historische Film Italiens. Der Film wurde 2005 unter Nutzung von Fragmenten aus vier verschiedenen Kopien der Cineteca Italiana (Milano), der Cinemateca Argentina (Buenos Aires), des Museum of Modern Art (New York) und des National Film and Television Archive (London) vom Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia der Cineteca Nazionale restauriert. Verlorene Szenen wurden dabei durch Standbildmaterial ersetzt. Die Originalmusik stammt von Giuseppe Chiello. (KK)

“The movie describes the last moments of Rome in the hands of the Pope, divided from the rest of Italy, as it was in 1870. In the opening scene, blindfolded General Carchidio is escorted from Ponte Milvio to General Kanzler of the Papal Army. Carchidio issues an ultimatum to surrender to Kanzler which is refused, and a breach in the city walls is stormed by troops (la breccia di Porta Pia).
The film recorded a crucial moment in the country’s recent history: the capture of Rome by the newly-formed Italian army and the election of the city as the country’s capital. It was produced with the co-operation of the country’s Ministry of War and its goal was to strenghten the feeling of ‘Italianity’ among the populations, putting in a bad light the role of the catholicism during the unification.”
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“The history of cinematography in Italia starts, as in other European countries, in 1895 with the ‘Kinetografo’ of Fileteo Alberini. For about ten years the production is dominated by documentary and actuality films under a strong French influence. The production of fiction films is rather retarded – nearly until La presa di Roma. In 1907, we find nine cinema manufacturing companies, consolidating prevalent family-level organized production. In 1915 there are eighty firms producing films (centered in Turin, Rome, Milan and Naples) and 1.500 movie theaters.”
Irmbert Schenk: The Cinematic Support to National(istic) Mythology: The Italian Peplum (1910-1930). In: Natascha Gentz: Globalization, Cultural Identities, and Media Representations. Albany, N.Y. 2012, p. 153

Il piccolo Garibaldino
Dir. and actors unknown. P: Società Italiana Cines. It 1909
Print: Museo Nazionale del Cinema

“The film depicts in a telling manner an incident in the days of Garibaldi, whose call for volunteers to aid him in his battles meets with a ready response. Anselmo, father of a twelve-year-old boy, also joins the Garibaldinian troops. The little Augusto, inflamed by the same desire, runs away from home and joins his father, who is enlisted in the ranks of the glorious Mille. When the signal for battle starts to sound, little Augusto throws himself among his comrades, but suddenly he is mortally wounded. The little hero invokes the name of Garibaldi, and drags himself to him, then kisses Garibaldi’s sword and died in the arms of his father.”
Theatre programme, Politeama Ariosto of Reggio Emilia, July 27, 1910

Anita Garibaldi
R: Mario Caserini. D: Maria Caserini-Gasparini. P: Società Italiana Cines. It 1910

“Ana Maria de Jesus Ribeiro di Garibaldi, best known as Anita Garibaldi (August 30, 1821 – August 4, 1849) was the Brazilian wife and comrade-in-arms of Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi. Their partnership epitomized the spirit of the 19th century’s age of romanticism and revolutionary liberalism.”
Wikipedia