In conjunction with the summer course Ancient/Modern Corpo-Realities and the upcoming spring dance concert, Spoglia (March 6–9), directed by Byron Suber, with choreography by Byron Suber and Jumay Chu, and music by Jeannie Stearns, Mary Lorson, Max Buckholtz and Sharon Costaines, Cornell Cinema is pleased to present the film series When in Rome.
Spoglia is, in fact, an outgrowth of Ancient/Modern Corpo-Realities, a Theatre, Film & Dance course taught by Suber in Rome over the summer. According to the course description:
Rome is celebrated for its present day relationship to antiquity but less attention is paid to Roman 20th and 21st century movements in art, architecture and performance. This course examines Rome as modern city as it interfaces with its past, by analyzing corporeal/spatial epistemologies in what will become for these students, an uncanny urban environment.
We begin with analyses of American films such as Roman Holiday, that use such obvious locations as the Colosseum, the Forum and the Spanish Steps, then move onto Italian filmmakers who also utilized Rome as a backdrop/playground, such as Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. In contrast, we will then look to Pier-Paolo Pasolini’s Mamma Roma. It is set in the post-war housing estate Tuscolano II, produced under INA Casa. This and other projects were built to house poor Romans, many of whom had been displaced to peripheral neighborhoods during the Fascist and post WWII periods. Moving the poor from the center city helped clear the way for the present day touristic environment.… All of these films will be studied closely together, focusing particularly on the tension between center and periphery as well as the juxtaposition of the ancient to the modern.… After viewings, the students will be led on tours of the actual film locations as well as numerous other locations with monumental or social value…
Based on their experiences in Rome, Suber and Chu are creating Spoglia, an original work that brings into question western (and specifically American) culture's proprietary attitude towards what has been mythologized as the legacy of classicism. A number of scenes from the films listed above have been remade by Suber for inclusion in the production of Spoglia. For instance, the Trevi Fountain scene from La Dolce Vita has been reshot in Cascadilla gorge, the Anna Magnani's extended walking shot in Mamma Roma was also recreated.
Visit Rome yourself this winter by viewing all of these stunning films, and then experience it reimagined in an original dance concert come spring! Byron Suber will introduce the series on January 30th, before a screening of Once Upon a Time: Rome, Open City. The series is cosponsored with Cornell’s Rome Program.