Early Italian cinema has long had a reputation for its films on filmmaking and cinemagoing. Think of Pastrone’s film Maciste (1915), in which we see shots of the Itala film studios in action, as well shots of a cinema audience watching Maciste bending bars in the epic Cabiria. But before the First World War Italian studios were already promoting themselves in short comedies with references to logos and posters with the company’s sign. Sometimes we see the studio as a saviour for poor people who need a break, such as in Per il babbo (Pasquali, 1913). In this last group we find Eleuterio Rodolfi’s film Cenerentola (1913), a modern version of the Cinderella story mixing fairytale and reality, set in the film world. A poor orphaned young woman named Silvietta (Fernanda Negri-Pouget), who has to care for her young sister, is presented to a big Ambrosio film star, Jenny Smart (Mary Cléo Tarlarini), who happens to live in the same building. Jenny agrees to take Silvietta to the Ambrosio studio, and presents her to director Piccolini (Luigi Chiesa). He is so smitten by her that he lets her act a short dramatic scene, after which he immediately gives her the title role in his costume film Cenerentola. (Demonstrating the “magic of film”, as they say.)
This plot provides an excuse for extensive shots of the Ambrosio studio on the Via Minerva in Turin, with Silvietta as our link. First we watch staff entering from the outside. Then we see the studio interior, where several films are being shot at the same time (accentuating the studio’s vastness and high activity); Silvietta witnesses a Chinese-themed scene being filmed (it could be a subject about the Boxer Rebellion). We can see how many people are involved in making the films, e.g., the cameramen hand-cranking the cameras. After Silvietta has become the lead of the film, we get a look at the wardrobe department, witnessing her getting into a tightly corseted 18th-century gown. We also notice during the interior shots how takes are re-done, and how differently the actors behave between shots. Afterward, the cast and crew set off for an outdoor location. The travel scenes stress the class difference between the extras, who are packed into an omnibus, while the leads travel comfortably in an open touring car.
Alas, the complete film does not survive. However, the fragment from the Cineteca del Friuli is considerably longer than the hitherto-known clip from the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, and moreover it is tinted and the images are crystal-clear.
For a full description of the original contents of the film (Jenny will get jealous and become the evil stepmother from the fairytale), see the website “Sempre in penombra: archivio del cinema muto”. See also Cristina Jandelli, L’attore in primo piano: Nascita della recitazione cinematografica (2016). – Ivo Blom