Saturday, July 02, 2011

Albert Capellani: Programme 7: Borders and Blind Dates (A Workshop)

Albert Capellani: Programma 7: Ai limiti e altri incontri imprevisti (un workshop). Saturday 2 July 2011 at 10.00 at Cinema Lumière - Sala Officinema / Mastroianni (Bologna, Il Cinema Ritrovato). Earphone commentary in Italian and English. Grand piano: Donald Sosin. Presenta Mariann Lewinsky.

Catalogue: "Several of Capellani’s films are in an advanced state of decomposition (La Belle et la Bête, 1908), or have survived only as an incomplete negative, so that the colours, intertitles and the end of the film are missing (Beatrix Cenci, 1909). After seeing so many Capellani films, perhaps we, the viewers, can decide whether La Loi du pardon (1906) is a Capellani film (or is it by Ferdinand Zecca or another unknown director such as, for instance, the one who made La Loi du coeur?), or whether or not to attribute Manon Lescaut, a 1914 S.C.A.G.L. production, to Capellani." (ML)

LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE. FR 1908. D: Albert Capellani. Based on the story by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont; Cast: Julienne Mathieu; P: Pathé Frères No 2252; Pri. pro.: 9 novembre 1908. 35 mm. 60 m. 3’ a 16 fps. Pochoir. Intertitres français. From: Lobster Films. - AA: A fairy-tale. The beast is a funny creature in this adaptation. The print: the visual quality is occasionally ok but largely so ravaged it borders on Brakhage.

FOULARD MERVEILLEUX / [the title of the print:] The Wonderful Scarf. FR 1908. D: Albert Capellani. P: Pathé Frères No. 2204. 35 mm. 140 m. 8’ a 16 fps. B&w. From: BFI National Archive. - AA: A comedy, a magic trick film. There is a scarf which can render its owner invisible. A vicious guy retaliates by means of invisibility.

BÉATRIX CENCI. FR 1909. D: Albert Capellani. P: Pathé Frères No. 2224. 35 mm. L. or.: 225 m. 132 m. 8’ a 16 fps. B&w No intertitles. From: La Cinémathèque française. - AA: A historical story in the Film d'Art style. A Renaissance story, a court story. We see Beatrice Cenci murdering her father who has raped her. The print is a fragment struck from a negative element.

LA LOI DU PARDON. FR 1906. D: Ferdinand Zecca? Albert Capellani?. Law of Pardon; SC: André Heuzé. P: Pathé Frères (Scène dramatique No. 1381); Pri. pro.: 5 maggio 1906. 35 mm. 146 m. 7’ a 18 fps. B&w. Intertitres français. From: CNC-Archives Françaises du Film. - AA: Drama. The daughter brings her parents together. The visual quality of the print is uneven, with signs of water / nitrate damage in the source.

[added:] LE CORSO TRAGIQUE. FR 1908. - AA: Tragedy. There is a nice salesgirl of mother-of-pearl. The father foils the happiness of the young. En route pour le corso. There is a masked ball, the young man is murdered, and the victim is brought to his father still wearing his Pierrot mask. 2003-2008.

EYE FOR EYE (TRAILER). US 1918. 20 m. 3’ a 18 fps. B&w/col. From: Library of Congress. - AA: Shown was actually a Fox Film Corporation trailer show: Fox West Coast greater season previews. Eye for Eye: starring Alla Nazimova.

[added:] [DANZA APACHE]. [1911?]. Fondazione Cineteca Italiana. Pochoir. - An unidentified apache dance.

[added:] TONTOLINI IMPARA A BALLARE. IT 1911. Flash titles. - Comedy. Tontolini cannot dance. He visits a joint where he sees violent apache dance. Back at the high society ballroom he starts to lead the ladies to an apache dance of the rudest kind. +

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