Page 36 - Studio International - July August 1975

The Futurist Painter Giacomo Balla, 1912

truly cinematographic experimentation 1 Sant' Elia's 'Manifesto of Futurist Funeral of the Anarchist Galli, also 1911.
and ingenuity that distinguished Architecture' did not appear in Lacerba until The 20 known examples of Bragaglia's
Bragaglia's approach. The remarkable 1st August 1914 (translated in Futurist Photodynamism (three of them previously
aspect of Bragaglia's films was that he Manifestos, ed. Umbro Apollonio, Thames unpublished) are reproduced in the 1970
Einaudi edition of his Fotodinamismo
was one of the first to really use the and Hudson, 1973). Futurista, together with biographical notes
2 Enrico Prampolini's main manifestos were
medium as a language and attempt to `Chronophony — the Colour of Sounds', and background supplied by Antonella
evolve a cinematographic method based 26th August 1913, 'The Futurist Stage', Bragaglia, and four critical notes by
on the nature and potential of the medium, April—May 1915, and 'The Futurist G. C. Argan, M. Calvesi, M. Fagiolo and
and this before 192o. With film he Atmosphere-Structure — basis for an F. Menna.
progressed from the obvious Architecture', February 1918 (all translated 10 Corriere Toscano, 28th January 1913. This
inadequacies of Photodynamism to a in Futurist Manifestos, Thames and Hudson, article appeared before the announcement of
combination of the dynamic potential of 1973). the manifesto in Lacerba.
the cine-camera, lighting, and 3 Fortunato Depero was co-author with Balla "Published in Bragaglia's own 'pantheist
monthly' magazine La Ruota (The Wheel),
of 'The Futurist Reconstruction of the
Prampolini's abstract scenography, Universe', 11th March 1915 (ibid). which first appeared in 1915 with separate
which was a courageous attempt to push In November 1960 an exhibition of issues dedicated to stars, birds, clouds, plants
cinema forward into a new dimension. Photodynamism was included as part of and water.
He certainly was before his time, both in `Les Sources du XX siècle' organized by the 12 In a letter of 1918 to Bragaglia, Pirandello
terms of Futurism and of the Council of Europe at the Musée d'Art proposed that together they make 'a film of a
documentation of the history from which Moderne, Paris. film' (shades of Jean-Luc Godard's subject
he is now so remarkably absent. If his 5 Marinetti lavished a legendary fortune on matter and Dan Graham's technique ?).
results seem partial in relation to his Futurism, allegedly inherited from his The idea was that of 'the serpent biting its
intentions, then that may be because he father's brothels in Egypt. tail, the fiction of a fiction' (M. Fagiolo).
13 12th February 1913 in Patria.
In response to the same question, a leading
set his sights too high and was dealing `art photographer', Bonaventura replied: 14 26th January 1913 in Patria.
with areas for which the finding of visual `I too can express my soul through the 15 21st December 1913 in Humanitas.
means is notoriously elusive. Even devices of my camera just as painters do with 10 Founded in September 1916 and financed
Boccioni might have granted that 'we must their brushes.' (Published in the 1970 Einaudi by the young Roman industrialist Emidio
forgive the mistakes of those who edition of Fotodinamismo Futurista — see De Medio.
attempt to fly'." footnote 9). 17 A certain amount of confusion surrounded
The manifesto, according to Bragaglia, was the identity of these films until recently. The
first conceived and published in 1911, but account of Thais given by the actress Thais
the first traceable evidence of it is the Galitzky, plus the evidence of existing stills,
announcement in Lacerba of 1st July 1913. enabled Antonella to verify in 1969 that the
If Bragaglia's statement were correct, the film rescued by Henri Langlois and in the
edition announced in Lacerba would have possession of the Cinemateque Francaise,
been the second one, and a third reprint was formerly known as Il Perfido Incanto, was in
issued in the same year (translated in fact Thais. No existing copies of Il Perfido
Futurist Manifestos, Thames and Hudson, Incanto or Il Mio Cadavere have come to light.
1973). 10 In a letter dated May 1911 to Barbantini,
8 Prime examples of these compositional then director of Ca'Pesaro, Venice. Published
devices are to be found in Boccioni's by G. Perocco in Primi Espositori di Ca'Pesaro,
The Street Enters the House, 1911, and Carrà's Venice 1958.
16