IL FUOCO

Italy | 1915 | DCP | 51 min.
Director: Giovanni Pastrone
Cast: Pina Menichelli, Febo Mari, Felice Minotti

Menichelli is one of the cinema’s first femmes fatales as a mysterious poetess who casts her spell over a naive painter. Passion ignites swiftly, only to collapse into madness and ruin, as desire gives way to obsession. Responsible for the legendary historical epic Cabiria, director Giovanni Pastrone (using a pseudonym) masterfully distills the melodrama of Il fuoco (“The Fire”) to an intense dance of seduction, elevated by striking visual effects and a precisely composed mise-en-scène. The restoration from Turin’s Museo Nazionale del Cinema will be presented with live piano accompaniment by celebrated musician Stefano Maccagno. Presented with the support of the Department of French and Italian at UW-Madison and the Istituto Italiana di Cultura di Chicago.