ONCE UPON A TIME ELVIRA
by Marco Coraggio
Author’s suggestions on extracts of films as a part of “THE FILM OF ELVIRA” review dedicated to the first italian woman director Elvira Coda Notari (1875-1946).
From 17 September to 2 October 2016 to Marte Mediatheque, Cava de’Tirreni (Sa), Italy.

Sequences:

[ E ‘piccerella ]
by Elvira Notari Coda
Dora Napoli © 1921 Film
Sound: The Charleston
Music by James P. Johnson © 1923 on text by Cecil Mack texts © 1921

[ ‘A santanotte ]
by Elvira Notari Coda
Dora Napoli © 1922 Film
Sound: Some Sunny Day
by Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra © 1922

[ Fantasy ‘and surdat ]
by Elvira Notari Coda
Dora Napoli © 1927 Film
Sound Department: Savoy Blues
by Louis Armstrong © 1927
Sound: Lacreme napulitane
by Libero Bovio and Francesco Buongiovanni © 1925

Synopsis: The title is a clear allusion to the close ties of the salernitan director Elvira Coda Notari with the production of films for the USA market, in particular for the Neapolitan emigrants abroad. The author imagines for a moment that Elvira, caught in the grip of fascist censorship and as troublesome figure since forerunner “neorealist”, was forced to move to New York to freely continue his artistic work, which first of all she had begun in Italy, making use of the musical productions than in the same period were raging in the United States beginning from Charleston to the music of a young Louis Armstrong. The author imagines that she as good precursor, would embrace, advance with the times, the new color techniques, invented new film formats such as 16: 9 and also produced cartoon, the innovative film industry that would have great spread over the following decades. In any case without ever forgetting of its own land of origin.
Author’s notes: Elvira was born 141 years ago in my own hometown… 😉

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