Emblematic figures
The island of Elba is obviously known throughout the world for its connection with Napoleon Bonaparte. Two works have been filmed on the island of the Tuscan archipelago. The most famous of them is surely N (io e Napoleone) in 2006, Napoleon (and me) in French, by Paolo Virzì (originally from Livorno) with Daniel Auteuil, Monica Belucci and Elio Germano. Almost 10 years later, it is Alessandro Izzo who revisits the story with L'Eredità di Napoleone (2015). This work divided into 4 episodes, available on the web, starts under the initiative of Elba. Those responsible for the project are trying to promote tourism in this part of Italy
The island of Elba is also famous in the world of the 7th art for having seen the birth of a great personality of Italian cinema, president of Cinecittà from 1972 to 1977: Nello Santi. His production company, Galatea Film, produced more than 60 films, including Divorce Italian style (1961, Oscar for best original screenplay) with Marcello Mastroianni, Hands on the City (1963) with Rod Steiger, or The Eye of the Labyrinth (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, such as Anita Ekberg, the singer Mina, Mario Monicelli or Francesco Rosi.
Films and Festivals
Other works that have been shot on the island include Cabiria (1914, Giovanni Pastrone), The Hundred Days (1935, Giovacchino Forzano), Pevvati d'Estate (1962, Giorgio Bianchi), Peyrol the Buccaneer (1967, Terence Young), Vietato ai minori (1992, Maurizio Ponzi) or the Italian series I Diletti del Barlume (Murders in the Barlume) placing its action in the town of Marciana Marina. Unfortunately, for several years, the already infrequent filming is becoming increasingly rare on the island. So, to continue to keep its 7th art alive, Elba organizes since 2019 the Elba Film Festival, 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 indicates, water is obviously in the spotlight in this event that organizes screenings of short and feature films and cultural and scientific workshops. Also note that on summer evenings, when the sun goes down, the open-air cinema screens light up. You can choose the Cinema Celeste in Capoliveri, the Cinema Summer Movie in Cavo, or the Arena Estiva Cinemare in Marciana Marina. Enjoy the show!
