Vittorio Calcina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vittorio Calcina
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| Born | 31 December 1847 Turin, Piedmont
Italy |
| Died | 31 December 1916 (aged 69) Milan, Lombardy
Italy |
| Occupation | Filmmaker director |
| Years active | 1896–1905 |
Vittorio Calcina (born December 31, 1847 – died December 31, 1916) was a very important person in the history of movies. He was the first Italian filmmaker ever!
Contents
Early Life and Film Career
Vittorio Calcina was born in Turin, Italy. Before he became a filmmaker, he worked as a photographer. In 1896, he became the official representative for the famous Lumière brothers in Italy. The Lumière brothers were French inventors who helped create the first movie cameras and projectors.
First Films and Important Moments
Calcina made history in 1896 with some amazing achievements:
- He filmed Pope Leo XIII in the Vatican Gardens. This was the very first time a pope was ever filmed!
- He also helped show films to the public. For example, in October 1896, he got permission to show a film called Il bagno di Diana in Brescia. He used a special machine called a cinematograph, which was an early movie projector.
- In November 1896, he organized a big event in Turin. He showed about 20 different films made by the Lumière brothers.
Royal Filmmaker
After these early successes, Vittorio Calcina became the official photographer for the House of Savoy. This was the royal family that ruled the Kingdom of Italy at the time.
In this special role, he made what is believed to be the first Italian film. It was called Sua Maestà il Re Umberto e Sua Maestà la Regina Margherita a passeggio per il parco a Monza. This means "His Majesty King Umberto and Her Majesty Queen Margherita strolling through the Monza Park". For a long time, people thought this film was lost. But in 1979, it was found again by the Cineteca Nazionale, which is Italy's national film archive.
Later Years
Vittorio Calcina stopped directing short films in 1905. He then went back to working as the representative for the Lumière brothers in Italy. He passed away in Milan but was buried in Turin.
Filmography
Here is a list of some of the films Vittorio Calcina made:
- 1896: Sua Santità papa Leone XIII (His Holiness Pope Leo XIII)
- 1896: Sua Maestà il Re Umberto e Sua Maestà la Regina Margherita a passeggio per il parco a Monza (His Majesty King Umberto and Her Majesty Queen Margherita strolling through the park in Monza)
- 1897: Le principi di Napoli a Firenze (The Princes of Naples in Florence)
- 1898: Varo della Emanuele Filiberto a Castellammare (Launch of the Emanuele Filiberto in Castellammare)
- 1898: L'entrata dell'esposizione di Torino (The Entrance to the Turin Exhibition)
- 1898: Ciclisti romani in arrivo a Torino (Roman Cyclists Arriving in Turin)
- 1899: Il re alla rivista delle truppe reduci dalle grandi manovre l'8 settembre 1899 (The King at the Review of Troops Returning from the Great Maneuvers on September 8, 1899)
- 1899: La passione di Cristo (The Passion of Christ)
- 1900: Il corteo funebre di accompagnamento alla salma di re Umberto (The Funeral Procession Accompanying the Body of King Umberto)
- 1901: La nave Stella Polare del Duca degli Abruzzi (The Ship Stella Polare of the Duke of Abruzzi)
- 1905: Il terremoto in Calabria (The Earthquake in Calabria)
See also
- Cinema of Italy
- Lumière brothers
