Vittorio Calcina

Vittorio Calcina (31 December 1847 – 31 December 1916) was the first Italian filmmaker in history. He was born in Turin and began his career as a photographer before moving into making films. In 1897, Calcina created short films that showed everyday life in Turin, capturing moments like people walking in the streets and local events. His work helped start the film industry in Italy and showed how cameras could tell stories. Though his films were simple by today’s standards, they were exciting at the time and brought new ways for people to see and share their world.

Biography

Vittorio Calcina was born in Turin and worked as a photographer. In 1896, he became the representative for the Lumière brothers in Italy. That year, he asked the city of Brescia to use a hospital for showing a film called Il bagno di Diana. He also showed about 20 short films in Turin.

Later, Calcina became the official photographer for the House of Savoy, Italy’s royal family from 1861 to 1946. In this job, he made the first Italian film showing King Umberto and Queen Margherita walking in Monza Park. This film was thought to be lost but was found again in 1979. Calcina stopped making films in 1905 and went back to working for the Lumière brothers. He passed away in Milan and was buried in Turin.

Filmography

Here is a list of films made by Vittorio Calcina:

• 1896: Sua Maestà il Re Umberto e Sua Maestà la Regina Margherita a passeggio per il parco a Monza
• 1897: Le principi di Napoli a Firenze
• 1898: Varo della Emanuele Filiberto a Castellammare
• 1898: L'entrata dell'esposizione di Torino
• 1898: Ciclisti romani in arrivo a Torino
• 1899: Il re alla rivista delle truppe reduci dalle grandi manovre l'8 settembre 1899
• 1899: La passione di Cristo
• 1900: Il corteo funebre di accompagnamento alla salma di re Umberto
• 1901: La nave Stella Polare del Duca degli Abruzzi
• 1905: Il terremoto in Calabria