L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 3 Luce Institute celebrates its 90th birthday with "L'immaginario italiano", an exhibition about the icons of Italian cinema and culture potential of the Institute to influ- ence the populace. During the Fascist period the Luce Institute became the main instrument used by the regime to manipulate pop- ular opinion and parade an image of power and glory. Its origins aside, the Institute survived to the end of the Fascist dictator- ship and has continued to operate up to the present day, making it world's the oldest public cinema institute. Its archive includes thousands of movies and three million still pictures. It's an amazing heritage in terms of numbers and the variety of themes that in 2013 was included in the UNESCO Memory of the World register. Today, 90 years from its establishment, the Luce Institute celebrates the anniversary with "L'immaginario italiano", a fas- cinating exhibition that traces Italian history from the begin- ning of the 20th century until today. To tell this intriguing evolu- tion of our country "L'immagi- nario italiano" decided to follow two ideal trails. The first one shows how Italy pictured itself and told its story in an official and formal way. So there are the first "cinegiornali" ("cinenews") produced by Luce, which would be the first sort of "news" that from the 20s' allowed millions of Italians to see and discover cities, far countries, unknown populations and cultures. The birth of an Italian public opinion starts from these "cinegiornali", together with the inception of preconceptions, false beliefs and illusions that the Fascist dicta- torship wanted to instill into people's minds. The Luce Institute created an educational, informative, but also propagandistic process which today is embodied in its millions of documents. All this footage tells the contradictory story of Italy, which believed in a false imaginary offered by the Fascist regime but also got out of the war and had the will to rebuild a destroyed country, develop a new democratic soci- ety, and follow a path towards modernity. At the same time, the exhibi- tion tells the other side of that very same story: the viewer who couldn't stand the rhetorical speeches and "shows" of Mussolini, the extreme poverty of the farmers who had to pre- tend to smile in front of the cam- eras, the deep dejection of sol- Continued from page 1 In addition to sporting Crocs, baseball caps, fanny packs, and oversized water jugs, American tourists are notorious in Italy for neglect- ing to learn the beautiful lan- guage. Oftentimes, you'll hear an American naïvely request tap water or order a cappuccino after noon when they should be ordering espresso. Fortunately, the US Consulate in Milan has skipped the tedious "Dov'è il bagno?" and "Com'è stai?" lesson and instead created a rap music video teaching Americans the art of Italian hand gestures. The video opens at Milano Centrale where consulate intern Brian Griffin raps of the daily linguistic obstacles Americans face in Italy. Brian is initially very enthu- siastic and hopeful, hopping off the Freccia train wearing a baseball cap and ray bans and taking a selfie with the Milan Clock Tower. He becomes frustrated when a bartender gives him red wine instead of water, so he takes his col- leagues' advice and begins a class on Italian hand gestures. The hip, catchy chorus sings, "Teacher, SOS. I need your help, I wanna learn to talk with my hands." Brian and his teacher form a clever refrain of essential phrases including "I am hungry", "What do you want", and "Drink some wine" choreographed with the classic gestures. Soon, the whole consulate staff is singing and dancing in a conference room with the Italian and American flags mingling in the background. The Statue of Liberty joins them, with Walkman head- phones resting on its shoulders, rhythmically tossing a water bottle side to side. Even President Obama makes an appearance, albeit on a poster board with someone behind moving his arms. Other guest stars include NY Yankees fans and the delec- table hazelnut cocoa spread beloved by Americans and cre- ated by Italians: Nutella. Americans should exercise caution when attempting to communicate with these ges- tures. For example, I would advise against using the aggressive "I don't care" ges- ture if a nonna is asking whether you would like to eat her homemade tiramisu or her homemade cheesecake. The video ends on a high note, with the staff singing in unison. It's a Rap! JANe HusoN US Consulate in Milan Teaches Americans Some Handy Gestures diers fighting a war that was rep- resented as a triumpht but that in reality was a disaster. And the irony of a speaker talking about women workers from the '50s, the formality of politicians, and the people asking for new rights and reforms. Through all these downsides of our country, the viewer is able to reach a capti- vating and complex image of Italy, discovering the many lay- ers that contributed to built the contemporary Italy, allowing people to understand something more about their country thanks to its past. "L'immaginario italiano" is organized by the Instituto Luce, and sponsored by the Alto Patrocinato del Presidente della Repubblica (Republic Presidential office), the Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo e della Regione Lazio (Ministry of cultural Heritage and Activities, and the Ministry of Tourism of Lazio region) in col- laboration with Roma Capitale organization. The curators are Gabriele D'Autilia and Roland Sejko. The exhibition will take place in Rome at the Vittoriano Museums from the 4th of July until September 21st. Sandra Lee and Gabriella Andreini on the set of 'La Dolce Vita'1959

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