Littoriali della neve e del ghiaccio. XV dell’Era Fascista

Sports Competitions on Snow and Ice. 15th of the Fascist Era
Silent film. Live musical accompaniment by Igino Maggiotto (accordion)

Italy, 1937
Lenght: 22’

In San Martino di Castrozza at the beginning of 1937 the “Littoriali” on snow and ice took place. These were winter sports competitions amongst the youths belonging to the University Fascist Groups (GUF). The event was filmed by Pedrotti and Albertini, of the GUF in Trento; this became the brief documentary film that earned ninth place at the International Competition of Short Films in Paris the same year. Desirous to exhibit a condensed vision of the techniques and rhetorical possibilities of “big”, industrial 35 mm cinema, the authors reveal a rhythmic sensibility and formal attention far above the average with their clips of skiing, skating, hockey, and trampoline jumping competitions without neglecting views of the mountains that form the background for the events of this small and lively Fascist sporting world as well as for the rituals to the regime that are represented by Starace and De Bono at the opening of the manifestation. I Littoriali della neve e del ghiaccio is a rare example of “amateur” cinema from the 1930s – among the few still extant – restored and conserved by Gian Maria Buffatti, who is currently completing the installation of his rich collection of pre-cinema and cinema in a private exhibition site in San Pietro in Cariano (Verona).

Alessandro Faccioli

Director: Pedrotti e Albertini
Edition taken from a 16 mm copy
Production: CineGuf di Trento

Courtesy of Gian Maria Buffatti Museo del Cinema (San Pietro in Cariano, Verona)