Emblematic figures
The island of Elba is, of course, known the world over for its connection with Napoleon Bonaparte. Two films have been shot on the island in the Tuscan archipelago. The best-known of these is surely 2006's N (io e Napoleone), Napoléon (et moi) in French, by Livorno-born Paolo Virzì, starring Daniel Auteuil, Monica Bellucci and Elio Germano. Almost 10 years later, Alessandro Izzo revisits the story with L'Eredità di Napoleone (2015). This work, divided into 4 episodes and available on the web, began as an initiative on the island of Elba. The project is an attempt to promote tourism in this part of Italy.
The island of Elba is also famous in the world of the 7th art for having been the birthplace of a great personality of Italian cinema, president of Cinecittà in Rome from 1972 to 1977: Nello Santi. His production company, Galatea Film, produced over 60 films, including Divorce à l'italienne (1961, Oscar for Best Original Screenplay) with Marcello Mastroianni, Main basse sur la ville (1963) with Rod Steiger, and L'Œil du labyrinthe (1972) shot on his native island. The producer, who died in 1995, regularly returned to his magnificent villa in Lacona, overlooking Capoliveri, Montecristo, Pianosa and Corsica, where many celebrities were invited, including Anita Ekberg, singer Mina, Mario Monicelli and Francesco Rosi.
Films and Festivals
Other works filmed on the island include Cabiria (1914, Giovanni Pastrone), Les Cent jours (1935, Giovacchino Forzano), Peccati d'estate (1962, Giorgio Bianchi), Peyrol le boucanier (1967, Terence Young), Vietato ai minori (1992, Maurizio Ponzi) and the Italian series I Diletti del Barlume(Murders in the Barlume), set in the town of Marciana Marina. Unfortunately, over the last few years, the already infrequent film shoots on the island have become increasingly rare. So, to keep its 7th art alive, since 2019 Elba has been organizing the Elba Film Festival, in Marciana Marina, where short films and independent documentaries are screened. In 2017, the second edition of the Aqua Film Festival organized by Eleonora Vallone was also held on the island. As its name suggests, water is the focus of this event, which features screenings of short and feature-length films, as well as cultural and scientific workshops. And on summer evenings, when the sun goes down, the open-air cinema screens light up. Choose from the Cinema Celeste in Capoliveri, the Cinema Summer Movie in Cavo, or the Arena Estiva Cinemare in Marciana Marina. Enjoy the show!
