L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 3 Ermanno Olmi's world premiere to celebrate 100 years since WWI ties, considering both combat- ants and civilians, and radically changed the balance of power in the world. Everybody knows that more barbarity followed that dreadful experience, and sometimes it's hard to believe that the human r a c e i s c a p a b l e o f l i v i n g i n peace, as armed conflicts are r a g i n g i n o v e r 1 5 0 d i f f e r e n t c o u n t r i e s a c c o r d i n g t o t h e Global Peace Index. And yet we need to trust that, j u s t l i k e t h e c a l m a f t e r t h e s t o r m , a f t e r t h e b l o o d s h e d greenery will bloom again. A message full of hope, this is the title of Ermanno Olmi's latest film, set during World War I and screened simultaneously in about 100 Italian Embassies, C o n s u l a t e s , a n d C u l t u r a l Institutes on November 4, on the anniversary of the armistice. Launched by the Italian govern- ment in collaboration with Rai C i n e m a , t h e i n i t i a t i v e a l s o included a special premiere in Rome in the presence of the P r e s i d e n t o f t h e R e p u b l i c G i o r g i o N a p o l i t a n o a n d t h e diplomatic corps. Director Ermanno Olmi, 83 years old, and his crew filmed for eight weeks on the snow- covered Asiago plateau north- w e s t o f V i c e n z a , i n V e n e t o region, the original site of a major battle between Austrian Continued from page 1 Fifteen years ago, I was for- tunate enough to take a tour through the Vatican's Sistine Chapel and have the humbling experience of standing beneath Michelangelo's masterpiece, "The Creation of Adam". I could make out the figures of God and Adam all right, but the fresco lacked the 3-D effect other, less famous parts of the ceiling were able to convey. This visual discrepancy was a reality of the lighting technolo- gy available at the time. Virtually all museums around the world had adopted the poli- cy of zero natural light and lim- ited exposure to halogen bulbs in an effort to preserve artistic masterpieces for future genera- tions. "The creation of Adam" was pock marked with areas of darkness and uneven light dis- tribution due to the inefficient halogen bulbs, which made it impossible to observe the rich details responsible for making the ceiling a priceless piece of visual storytelling. Today, the Vatican Museum is correcting this problem and boldly step- ping into the future with the installation of LED lighting throughout their Sistine Chapel. Thanks to the German lighting company Osram, 7000 LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, will illu- minate the Sistine Chapel's ceil- ing and walls, giving clarity to details long lost in the shadows of costly halogen bulbs. Now visitors to the chapel will be able to enjoy the masterpieces of not only Michelangelo, but also Sandro Botticelli and Pietro Perugino, whose artwork covers the walls and are of equal obser- vational value. Not only does this new technology favor the observer's experience, but also the LEDs reduce energy con- s umption by 60% and w ont harm the frescos, as traditional or natural lighting is known to do. The Vatican has stepped out of its traditional role and is leading by example in an era when energy conservation is a critical issue in every corner of the world. Visitors to the newly lit chapel have already raved about the vivacity of the colors and the clarity of detail. If you stare long enough, it just might be your hand God is reaching out to touch. The Vatican Boldly Steps Into The Light and Italian forces on the Alpine Front of the war. Olmi has been living in that area with his fami- ly since the 1960s, and there he recreated the trenches and their a t m o s p h e r e . O v e r w h e l m i n g feelings pile up in a single night of 1917, in the lead-up to the massive defeat at Caporetto: the waiting, the fear, the awareness that obeying criminal orders would be morally wrong and d i s o b e y i n g w o u l d g e t y o u killed. The film is based on a true story, like those narrated by I t a l i a n a u t h o r s a n d v e t e r a n s such as Mario Stern or Carlo Emilio Gadda. But the filmmak- er was also inspired by anony- mous journals of common sol- diers, whose impressions and memories were more immedi- ate, not altered by literature. "If we don't know the truth about History, how can we possibly learn from it?" Olmi comment- e d . A m o n g t h o s e u n h e e d e d voices was also his father's, who joined the "bersaglieri" assault troops at the age of 19 and could never forget the hor- ror he witnessed. " T o r n e r a n n o i p r a t i " (Greenery Will Bloom Again) didn't participate in any nation- al or international film festivals, i n c l u d i n g t h e p r e s t i g i o u s Venice festival that courted it for months, and instead was dis- tributed directly to theaters. Ermanno Olmi explained that this film wasn't meant for the movie industry but for the gen- eral public, as a reminder of one of the most shameful pages in our history as well as of the importance of holding on to our conscience, our judgement, and our humanity even in inhuman circumstances. H o p e f u l l y , h e b e l i e v e s , someday we'll learn our lesson and greenery will bloom again. Italian filmmaker Ermanno Olmi The Sistine Chapel lights up and shines brighter than ever PAIGE HOFFMAN

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