Tirrenia city of cinema: Pisorno - Cosmopolitan 1934-1969

At Palazzo Blu an unmissable exhibition of the Tirrenia filmstudios

From 23 March 2016 to 03 July 2016

Are you familiar with the term 'Pisorno'? If you are not movie fans then maybe you've never heard of it: but do not look for it in the dictionary as you will not find it there...
In the first half of 1900s a few modern film studios in Tirrenia were built: lying, just halfway between the cities of Pisa and Livorno, this new term 'Pisorno' (later replaced by 'Cosmopolitan') was then coined.

From the '30s to the early' 70s, Pisorno played a very important part in the history of Italian cinema: Palazzo Blu in Pisa dedicates the exhibition 'Tirrenia film studios at the Palazzo Blu in Pisa - Pisorno Cosmopolitan Pisa 1934-1969', open to the public until 3 July 2016 - precisely to this kind of Arno Hollywood. This is an unprecedented exhibition in Pisa that highlights not only the birth and development of a city, but also the tragedy of war and how film has changed over the years.

Thanks to the materials loaned from public and private collections as well as from the National Museum of Cinema in Turin, you can discover films shot in Tirrenia studios and take in the scene photos, the most famous celebrities, costumes and the machines used. In the Palazzzo Blu in Pisa you should not miss the cinema exhibition of Pisorno Tirrenia, an extraordinary and immersive journey into the Italian society during those years.

THE HISTORY OF PISORNO (COSMOPOLITAN) IN PISA

1934. In the wild pine forest of Tirrenia - the poet Gabriele d'Annunzio along with the playwright and librettist Joachim Forzano created the Pisorno studios, with the aim of relaunching the Italian production already in crisis.

Initially, the project went very well, enriched by the particular architecture of the studios designed by production designer Antonio Valente but above all thanks to modern equipment what was the novelty of the moment, the sound.

Many celebrities who trod sets at Pisorno studios included actors such as Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale, Vittorio Gassman and Marcello Mastroianni, just to name a few. Among the directors who have worked in Tirrenia, we remember Vittorio De Sica, Marco Ferreri, Luigi Zampa and Marco Ferreri.

As can be seen by visiting the Pisa exhibition at the Palazzo Blu in Pisa, Pisorno had a very important merit that was hardly recognized at the time: the training of professions virtually unknown in Italy until then, such as inspectors and directors of productions, sound engineers, engineers and makeup artists.

The decline of this great project began with the simultaneous opening of the Cinecitta studios, which took place in Rome in 1937 and which had, from the outset, a great success.

In the 60's the producer Carlo Ponti, gave new hope to these establishments. He acquired them  and renamed them 'Cosmopolitan': for a time, on the sets and on Tirrenia's shores one could meet internationally renowned actors like Sophia Loren and Fred Astaire. Unfortunately, even this moment of glory was short lived before the next crisis and the final closing of the Tirrenia film studios.

From that moment, the entire structure went inexorably into ruin carrying a piece of the history of Italian cinema. In 2000, after decades of complete neglect, the premises have been the subject of restoration for the construction of new hotel complexes.

Among the exhibitions in Pisa in 2016 do not miss 'Tirrenia city of cinema', an exciting dive into the memorable thirty years of Italian cinema!

EXHIBITIONS IN PISA - PALAZZO BLU PISA

There are three points of view offered by the exhibitions in Pisa, Italy of Pontorno studios: first the history of cinema but also national history and that of the area. In fact, this exhibition in Pisa, is meant to tell, especially to young people, the events of Tirrenia: not only beaches and fun but also a dream come true coveted but vanished too soon leaving only faint traces.

Documents on display in this extraordinary exhibition in Pisa also offers, in parallel, interesting views on the cultural history of the period, such as through the works of Renato Guttuso, Virgilio Marchi and Pop Art found in some movies of the Cosmopolitan years and the significant social changes of the sixties supported by the cinema of that period.

Visitors will be accompanied by a careful selection of films shot in Pisorno Tirrenia, undisputed protagonists of one of the most important exhibitions at Palazzo Blu in Pisa. The exhibition, in fact, is composed of a series of screens (where images, fittings and sequences flow continuously) in constant dialogue with other documentation (photo, processing materials, etc.), in order to make the complexity of the enormous work that lies behind every 'take' more understandable to the public.

Between 1934 and 1969 more than 160 films were shot, and not all Italian, were shot at Pisorno. The productions were heterogeneous and were supported by the technical and craft abilities of the workers to whom the exhibition devotes ample space: editors, sound engineers, musicians, set designers, tailors and costume designers... By visiting the Pisa exhibitions you will not only learn about the Pisorno-Tirrenia film but also the complex organization of and the world 'behind the scenes' of cinema!

In Pisa, amongst the current exhibitions, do not miss 'Tirrenia film city - Pisorno Cosmopolitan 1934-1969', thirty important years of Italian cinema. The exhibition, curated by Giulia Carluccio, was launched with the collaboration of the National Museum of Cinema in Turin, one of the most distinguished institutions in the sector, and the newspaper 'The Tirreno'- official partner - which provided valuable articles of that period relating to the birth of the factory in Pisorno.

Staged in the splendid rooms of the Palazzo Blu in Pisa, the exhibition will be open until 3 July 2016, do not miss it! And if you have a little free time, come and explore this beautiful region! On our page, you will find many tours in Tuscany that are easy to book conveniently online ... don't hesitate!

PISA and EXHIBITIONS PALAZZO BLU IN PISA: 'TIRRENIA CITY' FILM '

Location: Palazzo Blu - Pisa

Dates: from 23 March to 3 July 2016

Times: Palazzo Blu - Pisa: The exhibition is open from Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 7pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 8pm

Admission to the exhibition is free