The European Union Center is excited to announce a screening of the Italian silent film "Tigre Reale" (1916) on Monday, February 26 at 7-8:30 P.M. in Lincoln Hall Theater, 702 S Wright St, Urbana, IL 61801. The film screening will be accompanied live by two of Italy's leading jazz musicians: Stefano Maccagno (piano) and Furio Di Castri (double bass). This event is part of a U.S. tour organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago. Pre-registration is appreciated but not required. This event is free and open to the public. Please see below for the press release on the U.S. tour of "Tigre Reale."
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The Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago is pleased to announce the U.S. tour of Tigre Reale, an original film concert featuring the live musical performance of Stefano Maccagno (piano) and Furio Di Castri (double bass). The program is supported by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema of Turin.
Tigre Reale, a silent film made by Giovanni Pastrone in 1916, is a poem about the power of love and the destructiveness of memory, the cliché of the femme fatale and the obsession with guilt. Over the troubled love story between the Russian countess Natka and the young diplomat Giorgio La Ferlita, weighs the tragic past of the woman. In the sweetened and rarefied world of a fictional aristocracy, unattainable Dannunzian characters are driven by extreme passions. The film becomes a luxurious stage for the divine Pina Menichelli, who offers here a symbolic interpretation of the excessive and artificial acting that marks and distinguishes some of Italy’s silent cinema.
The music score harmoniously combines jazz and a classical inspired musical language offering the audience a musical experience distant but at the same time perfectly matching the film’s flow. Stefano Maccagno’s piano echoes late romantic and impressionistic influences in combination with an always balanced contemporary touch emphasizing the film’s dramatic tension. Furio Di Castri jazz scores wonderfully match all interior sequences while his solo improvisations give the filmic narration an intriguing atmosphere.
“After the success of Inferno 1911, we are pleased to invite once again Maestro Stefano Maccagno and jazz musician Furio Di Castri to the U.S. for another exciting original project promoted by the Istituto” - says Luca Di Vito, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute. “The new film concert Tigre Reale will tour in six cities in our jurisdiction, covering five States in our jurisdiction from the Midwest to the South. We are very proud to be able to bring such culturally relevant initiatives to our communities in Chicago and beyond, also thanks to important collaboration with local institutions.”
The restoration of Tigre Reale was carried out by Museo Nazionale del Cinema of Turin in 1993 starting from a tinted and toned nitrate print, donated by Giovanni Pastrone to Maria Adriana Prolo in 1959. The restoration was carried out by l’Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory in 1993. The 4K digitization of the restored version was carried out by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema of Turin at L’Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory in Bologna in 2018. The musical accompaniment for this edition was composed and performed by Maestro Stefano Maccagno.
TOUR DATES
All performances will be free and open to the public
Wednesday, February 21 at 7:30pm CT
Varsity Theatre/ Marquette University
1326 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI
Presented in collaboration with the Marquette University
Saturday, February 24 at 7:00pm CT
Logan Center for the Arts
915 E 60th St., Chicago IL
Presented in collaboration with The Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
Monday, February 26 at 7:00pm CT
Lincoln Hall Theater
702 S Wright St., Urbana, IL
Presented in collaboration with the European Union Center
Thursday, February 29 at 6:00pm ET
Cox Auditorium
915 Volunteer Blvd, Knoxville TN
Presented in collaboration with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Saturday, March 2 at 7:00pm CT
Hi-Pointe Theatre
1005 McCausland Ave, St. Louis, MO
Presented in collaboration with Cinema St. Louis
Sunday, March 3 at 7:30pm CT
Swarthout Recital Hall
1530 Naismith Dr, Lawrence, KS
Presented in collaboration with the University of Kansas
Tuesday, March 5 at 8:00pm CT
The Woman’s Club
410 Oak Grove St, Minneapolis, MN
Presented in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Center of Minneapolis/St. Paul and Archives on Screen Twin Cities
THE ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO is the cultural office of the Consulate General of Italy in Chicago. Founded in 1985, the Institute is one of five cultural agencies of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the United States. It is located in the heart of Chicago along the Magnificent Mile. The Institute serves as a convenient source for information about Italian life and culture that showcases Italy’s classic and contemporary heritage with particular reference to art, music, cinema, design, architecture, literature, fashion, theater, cuisine, science, and technology. Learn more at iicchicago.esteri.it
PRESS CONTACTS
Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago
Fabiola Tosi
Associate Director of Programs and Communication Ph: +1 773 377 8118
Mail: fabiola.tosi@esteri.it