The studios of Cinecittà and Cinecittà shows off
Best Western Plus Hotel Spring House, 4-star in central Rome, recommends you visit the new Cinecittà cinematic exhibition path, which welcomes visitors with famous scripts from the Italian cinema. Created back in the 30s by Mussolini under the timeless tag line, “Il cinema è l’arma più forte” (Cinema is the most powerful weapon), this is one exhibition worth making a trip out to see.
The first room is devoted to the world of scenographers and it is set up in part as a specialized equipment room, where scenographers go to recover objects with which decorate the sets, and in part as a studio, with drawings of preparation of famous scenes movie. There are, among others, the sketches of the award-winning Oscar Dante Ferretti and those of Giantito Burchiellaro.
The second room is a tribute to the set of Rome, the great American television series shot at Cinecittà in one of the largest and most impressive outdoor set-ups recently built. Later, the visitor will be able to continue his journey to the discovery of the Cinema Factory.
The visit continues with a real set that reproduces an eighteenth-century setting, set up for the creation of POST, a mockumentary produced by CSC Production that unveils the post-production secrets, projected into the next room.
The rooms of costumes
The last two halls deepen the costume designer's craft, a key role in the film industry. The new selection of clothes and accessories gives great emphasis to both Italian and foreign costumes, with an overview on the costume history, which, although partial, embraces a timing frame that goes from ancient Rome until 1900. Each exposed dress was worn by celebrity actors and actresses, such as the Regina Specchio costume, worn by Monica Bellucci on Grimm's Brothers Set by Terry Gilliam (2005) made by the Oscar Award Gabriella Pescucci and Carlo Poggioli, Sophia Loren's dress for the role as Isabella Candeloro in Once upon a time by Francesco Rosi (1967) or the one worn by Cameron Diaz as Jenny Everdeane in Gangs of New York by Martin Scorsese (2002).
In this exhibition area, there is also some dress made for Fellini's films, in honor of the privileged relationship he has always had with Cinecittà, a small anticipation of an exhibition entirely dedicated to the director which will be made next fall. Among them, the dress of Tre Passi nel delirio (Toby Dammit episode) (1968) by Piero Tosi or the Mandrake costume worn by Marcello Mastroianni in The Interview (1986) and made by Danilo Donati.
Photo by Agostino Zamboni (Welcome to Cinecittà) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons