The Futurist Canon
| Nov ’09 |
| 3 |
| 7:00 pm |
The only surviving feature-length Futurist film, Thais (1917), a seemingly conventional Italian “diva” picture that builds to a wildly experimental final sequence, with visionary set designs by Futurist painter Enrico Prampolini, will be shown with two Italian “city symphony” films–Speed (1930), made by Futurist painter Pippo Oriani and Futurist writers Tina Cordero and Guido Martina, and Stramilano (1929), which shows a day in the life of Milan.
With live piano accompaniment by acclaimed composer/pianist PETE DRUNGLE
TUES NOV 3rd SCREENING ONLY: a special introduction by Columbia University art historian and film scholar NOAM ELCOTT!
MON NOV. 9th SCREENING ONLY: a special introduction by scholar of Italian avant-garde movements JOHN PICCHIONE!
FILM DETAILS
Speed (Velocita)
Dir. Tina Cordero, Guido Martina, and Pippo Oriani, Italy, 1930
B&W, silent, 13 min
One of the only Futurist films still existing, Speed captures the dynamics of the city, with rotating views, whistling machines, articulated mannequins, and homages to twentieth-century artists such as Boccioni, Mondrian, Leger, and Kandinsky, all rhythmically collaged together by Futurist painter Oriani in collaboration with Futurist writers Cordero and Martina.
Stramilano
Dir. Corrado D’Errico, Italy, 1929
B&W, sound, 14 min
A vibrant “city symphony” showing a day in the life of Milan, from factories to farmers’ markets, skyscrapers, nightclubs, and beyond, with sound effects of human voices and machines. Although not officially “Futurist,” this film is directly related to Futurist ideas and works such as ‘Speed.’
Thaïs
Dir. Anton Giulio Bragaglia, Italy, 1917
B&W, silent, 25 min (incomplete)
A seemingly conventional Italian “diva” picture that builds to a wildly experimental ending, ‘Thais’ is considered to be the only surviving full-length Futurist film. In it, the title character plots to seduce her best friend’s crush, and the melodramatic chain of events that ensues leads to a Futuristic final sequence, shot against the visionary set designs of Futurist painter Enrico Prampolini.
Total running time: 52 min
Presented by Performa. Curated by Lana Wilson. Part of “The Polyexpressive Symphony: Futurism on Film.”
Nov. 3 and Nov. 9 at 7pm
Tickets: $9 / $7 Students, Seniors, and Children / $6 Performa and AFA Members, available at the door.
About “The Polyexpressive Symphony: Futurism on Film”
Although very little remains of early Italian avant-garde cinema, this film program will showcase several groundbreaking films from the 1910s, 20s, and 30s indebted to the Futurist movement, which declared that film was “the expressive medium most adapted to the complex sensibility of a Futurist artist.” Artists to be featured include Marcel Fabre (Italy), Henri Chomette (France), Willy Otto Zielke (Germany), Eugene Deslaw (Ukraine), and Corrado D’Errico (Italy). The program will also present poetic Italian shorts documenting the rise of the mechanical age, rare early science-fiction films, and the US premiere of the only surviving full-length Futurist film, Thais (1916), a melodramatic love story made by Anton Giulio Bragaglia. Most of the screenings will feature live piano accompaniment by acclaimed composer/pianist Pete Drungle, and a special screening of “March of the Machines” (1929) as part of the Man and Machine program on Nov. 11 will feature a live performance inspired by its original score, by Futurist composer Luigi Russolo, on a reconstructed intonarumori, or Futurist noise machine.
Other Programs in “The Polyexpressive Symphony: Futurism on Film”
Nov 3 & 9 at 9 PM: Futurist-Related Performance on Film (with live accompaniment by composer/pianist Pete Drungle)
Nov 4 & 11 at 7 PM: Man and Machine (with live accompaniment by composer/pianist Pete Drungle, and live performance by Luciano Chessa Nov 11)
Nov 4 & 11 at 8:30 PM: Trains, Trains, Trains (with introduction by SVA Theater Director Gene Stavis Nov 4)
