AIC, 1988 - AIC Associazione Italiana Autori della Fotografia ...

AIC
11 th, '88, saw us walk away with one
Oscar after another, in all nine
categories! As we stood there together,
we all felt that we had undertaken the
most incredible journey, which had
begun with the initial concept and
ended with the ultimate acclamation!
Next, we received the Caesar award in
France, for the best foreign film, while
our return to Italy was marked by
continual celebrations: the A.N.I.C.A.
presented us eafh with a plaque in
recognition of our international succes,
and the Davide di Donatello
organizers, Ciak magazine and the
National Union of Cinematographic
Journalists each recognized us in
various categories, with their specific
awards.
However, all this celebrating did not
stop me checking the prints and their
distribution, so that the famous
photographic concept might continue
to live at the various showings, in the
different formats and media.
Also, when I was in Los Angeles, I had
checked a brand new Answer Print
necessary for all the prints required by
the American distribution, after the
film's having won the nine Oscars.
More recently, in New York, I had
checked the first 16 m/m fmnt which
would cater for the demands of that
particular market.
After all the recognition, all the
adulation, the one thing we felt badly
about, and which somewhat marred
the great cinematographic — and
cultural — event of the year, was the
fact that the Italian public had not
had a chance to see the Film in the
original 70 m/m version with 6-track
sound. Right from the beginning, we
had tried to convince Italian
Distributors and Exhibitors what a
great event the Film could be turned
into; what an epic, cultural and
spectacular launch it could be given;
and how it could re-launch Cinema on
the big screen. Unfortunately, it was
all in vain, as nobody was prepared to
make the minimal financial investment
necessary for cinema seen at the
cinema today. The only exception was
Piero Fumagalli who runs, and very
intelligently so, the cinema in Melzo,
and who, having had the foresight to
invest in the necessary equipment —
which is also the equipmente of the
future — was able to give a small
percentage of Italian cinema-goers the
chance to see the Film in the original,
epic format for which it had been
conceived and in which it had been
realized by its Authors. As 1 also
attended this showing, I had the
chance to explain the photographic
concept to the public, discuss it at
length with the Exhibitors present and
also communicate my opinions
regarding the Cinema of the future to
them.
Finally, on July 21st, '88, the Mayor
of Rome, the City Council and the
Massenzio Cooperative cooperative, as
a tribute to the Film and the citizens
of Rome, joined forces to organize a
single showing of "The Last Emperor"
in the original 70 m/m version with
stereophonic sound and electronic
subtitles. At last, the Film was to have
the showing it deserved in Italy — even
if only once!
Once more 1 called in the Dolby and
Technicolor technicians, and together
we checked the equipment, so that
everything might function perfectly for
the great event. We had some initial
problems with the projectors and the
only way they could be solved was by
substituting the lamp houses.
On the evening the film was to be
shown, and while the last of the cables
were being connected to new lamp
houses — which had just that minute
arrived — the Mayor of Rome presented
Bernardo Bertolucci with yet another
plaque at a ceremony held at the
Campidoglio. An hour later, while I
was measuring the foot-lambert units
on the enormous screen that had been
erected in the middle of the Circo
Massimo, I happened to tum towards
the projector, and found myself looking
at the most spectacular image of the
entire film, which had only just become
a part of it: 10.000 people or more, the
largest cinema audience I had ever
seen, were sitting, waiting impatiently
for the Film to begin — where their
ancestors before them had waited
impatiently for the start of the chariot
race!
Bertolucci gave the signal, and the
images with their accompanying
musical notes, all of which were
imprinted indelibly on our minds,
began to recount, with shadows, colour
and sound, the incredible story of the
Last Emperor if China, just like it had
been told to the rest of the world.
As I paced back and forth, try to take
in that final image of "The Last
Emperor", I found myself thinking that
this would probably be the last
showing of the film 1 would attend.
Also, the Film was coming to the end
of its run in the cinemas, and we were
already transferring all the concepts
and ideas that had contributed to its
success, onto another matrix: magnetic
tape.
In next to no time, video cassettes
would flood the world market, and Pu
Yi's story would be told anywhere a
VCR could be plugged in. Thus, the
format would change, the equipment
used to transmit the images would
change, the surroundings in which one
was introduced to the Emperor would
change; however, the narrative
structure would remain the same, as
would the original photographic
concept which was now imprinted
indelibly in the images of the Film. As
a concept, will always communicate a
particular feeling, thought and
emotion.