Cinecittà
Cinecittà Studios (pronounced
Filmmakers such as
History
The studios were founded in 1937 by Benito Mussolini, his son Vittorio, and his head of cinema Luigi Freddi under the slogan "Il cinema è l'arma più forte" ("Cinema is the most powerful weapon").[4] The purpose was not only for propaganda, but also to support the recovering Italian feature film industry, which had reached its low point in 1931.[2][5] Mussolini himself inaugurated the studios on 21 April 1937.[6] Post-production units and sets were constructed and heavily used initially. Early films such as Scipio Africanus (1937) and The Iron Crown (1941) showcased the technological advancement of the studios. Seven thousand people were involved in the filming of the battle scene from Scipio Africanus, and live elephants were brought in as a part of the re-enactment of the Battle of Zama.[7]
The studios were bombed by the
After rebuilding in the postwar years, the studios were used once again for their post-production facilities. In the 1950s, Cinecittà, described as
In the same period, the studios were used for further international productions such as Francis of Assisi (1961), Cleopatra (1963), The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968), Fellini's Casanova (1976), La Traviata (1982) and many other productions.
It hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 1991. This was the 36th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on Stage 15. Due to the Gulf War and mounting tensions in Yugoslavia, RAI decided to move the contest from Sanremo to Rome which was perceived to be more secure.
After a period of near-bankruptcy, the Italian Government privatized Cinecittà in 1997, selling an 80% stake.[13] On August 9, 2007, a fire destroyed about 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq. ft.) of the Cinecittà lot and surroundings. The historic part that houses the sets of classics such as Ben-Hur was not damaged; however, a good portion of the original sets from the HBO/BBC series Rome was destroyed.[14] In July 2012, another fire damaged Teatro 5, the vast studio where Fellini filmed La Dolce Vita[15] and Satyricon (1969).[13][16] A third fire in August 2022 destroyed part of a partially dismantled set depicting Renaissance-era Florence and disrupted filming of the sequel to The Old Guard.[17][18][19]
Since the 1990s, films have included Anthony Minghella's The English Patient (1996) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002),[15] Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (2004).
Notable TV productions
Cinecittà also hosts TV productions, such as Grande Fratello, the Italian version of Big Brother, where the Big Brother house is built on Cinecittà's premises. The complex also hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 1991.[11]
In addition, the
More recently,
Cinecittà World
In 2009 the studio announced that they intended to create a theme park.[22] The movie-themed amusement park, Cinecittà World, opened in July 2014.[23][24] The €250 million theme park is located approximately 25 km (16 mi) southwest of Cinecittà studios, on the site of a former movie studio built by Dino De Laurentiis in the 1960s.[23]
Cinecittà World expects to have 1.5 million visitors annually. Expansion plans for the theme park include a nature reserve and a wellness center.[23]
Gallery
-
Panoramic view of Cinecittà
-
Decorative elements from Fellini's Casanova on the entrance lawn of the studios
-
Scenography of the TV series Rome
-
Set of Gangs of New York
-
Reconstruction of Antonio Canova's Venus Victrix
-
Costumes from The Night Porter by Piero Tosi
-
Costume worn by Richard Burton in Cleopatra
-
Submarine set of U-571
See also
References
- ^ "Cinecittà, c'è l'accordo per espandere gli Studios italiani" (in Italian). 30 December 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-520-94128-1.
- ^ "Enciclopedia del cinema italiano "i Film girati a Cinecitta' dal 1937 al 1978"". Archived from the original on 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
- ^ Kinder, Lucy (2014-04-28). "Cinecittà studios: Google Doodle celebrates 77th anniversary".
- ^ Garofalo, Piero (2002). "Seeing Red: The Soviet Influence on Italian Cinema in the Thirties". In Reich, Jacqueline; Garofalo, Piero (eds.). Re-viewing Fascism: Italian Cinema, 1922-1943. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 223–249.
- ISBN 9780826412478.
- ^ Bondanella, Peter. Italian Cinema From Neorealism to the Present. The Continuum Publishing Company: New York, 1995. p. 19.
- ^ A documentary, "DP Camp of Cinecittà" by Marco Bertozzi, based on research by Noa Steimatsky, had its world premier on January 30, 2012, at The Italian Cultural Institute of New York, in New York City. (http://www.iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_NewYork/ Archived 2015-08-14 at the Wayback Machine)
- ^ Steimatsky, Noa. The Cinecittà Refugee Camp (1944–1950). October Spring 2009, No. 128: 22–50.
- ISBN 9781474606158.
- ^ a b Wyatt, Daisy (28 April 2008). "Cinecittà studios: Famous films shot in Italy's most iconic studios". The Independent.
- ISBN 0289800285.
- ^ a b Michael Day (December 13, 2013). "Decline and fall of Rome's cinematic empire: The end for Italy's famed Cinecitta studios?". The Independent.
- ^ "Fire torches film sets at Rome's historic Cinecitta". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2007-08-10. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
- ^ Independent.co.uk. 2015-06-26.
- ^ "Incendio a Cinecittà: le fiamme avvolgono lo storico Teatro 5" [Fire at Cinecittà: flames surround historic Studio 5] (in Italian). RomaToday. July 12, 2012.
- ^ David Mouriquand; AFP (2 August 2022). "Fire destroys sets at Rome's famous Cinecittà Studios". Euronews. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ "Fire destroys part of Rome's Cinecitta studios where Charlize Theron is filming The Old Guard sequel". RTÉ. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (2 August 2022). "Fire Breaks Out At Italy's Cinecittà; Destroys Part Of Renaissance Florence Set; Briefly Disrupts Netflix's 'Old Guard 2' Shoot". Deadline. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ "The Young Pope (TV Series 2016)". IMDb.
- ^ Galloway, Stephen (December 16, 2019). "Making of 'The Two Popes". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ "The Charming Story of Cinecittà Studios in Rome".
- ^ a b c d Povoledo, Elisabetta. (2014, July 21). Investing in Fantasy to Save a Fraying Reality. The New York Times.
- ^ "Cinecittà World | Divertimento da oscar". Cinecittà World. Archived from the original on 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
- ^ "Our flexible giant". Cinecittà Studios. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
External links
- Official website
- History of Cinecittà Archived 2009-05-01 at the Wayback Machine
- RAI International:Cinecittà
- Documents Cinecitta' Archived 2020-07-28 at the Wayback Machine