(Photo Ettore Petrolini: Fondo Petrolini, Biblioteca Museo Teatrale SIAE | Gigi Proietti: photo by Tommaso Le Pera)
On the anniversary of Ettore Petrolini’s birth, on January 13th 1884, Casa del Cinema and Sala Umberto will host “Caro Petrolini… Ma l’amore mio non muore mai”, a tribute that includes an exhibition, a cycle of five screenings and a theatre production to celebrate the Roman genius of early twentieth-century popular comic theatre, together with his sole heir and absolute admirer Gigi Proietti.
Film review
PETROLINI&PROIETTI
13-20 january | Casa del Cinema (Sala Cinecittà) | Ticket: 5 euro
It starts on Saturday January 13th with the film series “Petrolini&Proietti”, on the programme of Casa del Cinema (Largo Marcello Mastroianni 1, Rome) through January 20th. On January 13th at 4 pm, there will be a screening of Petrolineide, a commemorative anthology – made in 1949 by Alessandro Blasetti and Carlo Campogalliani – consisting of a sequence of sketches excerpted from some of the films Ettore Petrolini starred in, such as Nerone, Medico per forza, Pasquale e Pulcinella, Gastone, Sono fortunello, Melanconia and Cortile. The screening will be preceded by the short film Io, Ettore Petrolini by Ugo Roselli in which the actor and poet Checco Durante speaks about Petrolini. On the following days, the screenings will feature three famous films with three memorable performances by Gigi Proietti: Febbre da cavallo (Horse Fever) by Steno (January 13th at 7:30 pm), Brancaleone alle cruciate (Brancaleone at the Crusades) by Mario Monicelli (January 14th at 7:30 pm) and La Tosca by Luigi Magni (January 20th at 4 pm). The film series will also include the documentary Luigi Proietti detto Gigi, an emotional and engaged tribute dedicated to the artist that the filmmaker Edoardo Leo accompanied on his tour. On Sunday January 14th at 3:30 pm, Leo will meet the audience before the screening.
Exhibition
MA L’AMORE MIO NON MUORE MAI
13th January – 6th February | Casa del Cinema (Spazio Amidei e Zavattini) | Free entrance | ore: 12-20
From January 13th to February 6th, Casa del Cinema will also host a photography exhibition on the creative genius of Ettore Petrolini and Gigi Proietti. On display will be images and documents about Petrolini, from the Ettore Petrolini Fonds preserved at the Biblioteca Museo Teatrale SIAE and the National Archives, and photos of Proietti, taken and selected by the famous photographer Tommaso Le Pera. The exhibition, which will be held in the Spazio Amidei and Spazio Zavattini, is produced by Casa del Cinema with Civita Mostre e Musei, under the auspices of the President of the Committee on Culture, Science and Education of the Chamber of Deputies, in collaboration with the Fondazione Gigi Proietti and SIAE. The inauguration will be held on Saturday January 13th at 3:30 pm.
Opening hours: 12-8 pm
Tuesday 16th January and Friday 26th January: 3pm-8pm
Closed on Thursday, 18th January and Monday, 29th January
Show
BALLANTINI&PETROLINI
15th January | Sala Umberto (Via della Mercede 50, Roma) | Free admission while seats last with reservation required and available upon request by writing to: prenotazioni@salaumberto.com
The tribute to the two great Roman artists will close on Monday January 15th at 9 pm with a show titled “Ballantini&Petrolini”, which will be held in Sala Umberto (Via della Mercede 50, Rome), where the Maestro made his debut in 1911. In this show, Dario Ballantini brings Ettore Petrolini to the theatre, a warhorse from the repertory of his youth. With his usual obstinate adoption of total disguise, the artist from Livorno revives, as closely as possible to the original version, seven characters created by the great Roman comedian: Gigi il Bullo, Salamini, La Sonnambula, Hamlet, Nero, Fortunello and Gastone, who return to the stage in the new millennium. Between one character and another, Ballantini puts his make-up on in full sight using a sort of open dressing room, and takes up his old theatre tricks again.