Virgilio Tosi
Encyclopedia
Virgilio Tosi is an Italian
documentary filmmaker and historian of early film.
entered World War II
, Tosi started working as apprentice invoice-clerk at the Milan
seat of a German firm dealing in steel products, while pursuing his studies in his spare time.
, and offered a position in the newly-instituted Italian Theatrical Institute (Ente Teatrale Italiano), which had been created to run theatres and theatrical companies and was established in Rome
.
Meanwhile, he had engaged himself not to drop out of his studies, and passed his final secondary school exams in classical studies as an external student in 1943, in adventurous circumstances owing to Italy’s division in the war.
At the end of the World War II
, having left the Italian Theatrical Institute, Tosi started working as theatre and cinema critic while studying Philosophy at University. In 1946 he was among the promoters of the Theatre Association “Il Diogene”, where he worked as executive secretary; other members of the managing board were Mario Apollonio, Paolo Grassi and Giorgio Strehler
.
The following year, he participated in the creation of the Piccolo Teatro della Città di Milano. The town’s City Council designated him, along with Grassi, Strehler and Apollonio, as member of the first managing committee of the theatre, responsible for the technical and artistic management.
Tosi became increasingly interested in cinema. He was a founding member of the Cineteca Italiana in Milan
and participated in the Filmclubs movement of the period; in 1947, he was among the promoters of the founding of the Italian Film Societies Federation (Federazione Italiana dei Circoli del Cinema), where he occupied executive positions between 1949 and 1952. Meanwhile, he started working as scriptwriter for fiction films, his professional apprenticeship in this area greatly increased by the cooperation with Cesare Zavattini
.
, the Italian national public television network, for a number of television programmes.
Among his activities, he has worked as consultant for UNESCO
, the Istituto Luce, Rome’s National Gallery of Modern Arts
, was President of the International Scientific Film Association and of the Italian Scientific Film Association, and research director in the field of audiovisuals for the National Research Council (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
), the National Film School (Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia
) and RAI
.
He has pursued and is still pursuing historical research on the scientific origins of cinematography, and has realised experimental research to study the perception of the language of moving images through the recording of eye movements.
and held seminars and conferences in many universities and film schools in Italy and abroad (United Kingdom
, France
, Mexico
and Latin-American countries). Since 1988 he has also taught at the Documentary School “Zelig
” in Bolzano. His main teaching subjects are “History and Critic of Documentary Film” and “Scientific Documentary Techniques”.
Between 2002 and 2004 he taught, as a temporary professor, the course of Documentary Film at Rome University “La Sapienza”.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
documentary filmmaker and historian of early film.
Early life
On June 10, 1940, the day ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
entered World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Tosi started working as apprentice invoice-clerk at the Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
seat of a German firm dealing in steel products, while pursuing his studies in his spare time.
Early career
At the end of 1942 Tosi was noticed at an international youth meeting on theatreTheatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, and offered a position in the newly-instituted Italian Theatrical Institute (Ente Teatrale Italiano), which had been created to run theatres and theatrical companies and was established in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Meanwhile, he had engaged himself not to drop out of his studies, and passed his final secondary school exams in classical studies as an external student in 1943, in adventurous circumstances owing to Italy’s division in the war.
At the end of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, having left the Italian Theatrical Institute, Tosi started working as theatre and cinema critic while studying Philosophy at University. In 1946 he was among the promoters of the Theatre Association “Il Diogene”, where he worked as executive secretary; other members of the managing board were Mario Apollonio, Paolo Grassi and Giorgio Strehler
Giorgio Strehler
Giorgio Strehler was an Italian opera and theatre director.-Biography:Strehler was born in Barcola, Trieste to an Austrian father and a Franco-Slovene mother; he grew up speaking Italian but spoke French well and his German was passable. He became suddenly fatherless at the age of three, his...
.
The following year, he participated in the creation of the Piccolo Teatro della Città di Milano. The town’s City Council designated him, along with Grassi, Strehler and Apollonio, as member of the first managing committee of the theatre, responsible for the technical and artistic management.
Tosi became increasingly interested in cinema. He was a founding member of the Cineteca Italiana in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and participated in the Filmclubs movement of the period; in 1947, he was among the promoters of the founding of the Italian Film Societies Federation (Federazione Italiana dei Circoli del Cinema), where he occupied executive positions between 1949 and 1952. Meanwhile, he started working as scriptwriter for fiction films, his professional apprenticeship in this area greatly increased by the cooperation with Cesare Zavattini
Cesare Zavattini
Cesare Zavattini was an Italian screenwriter and one of the first theorists and proponents of the Neorealist movement in Italian cinema.-Brief biography:...
.
Mature career
Tosi started directing documentaries and subsequently decided to pursue this activity, specialising in scientific documentary, continuing to work as cinema critic and essay-writer all the while. In the 1960s, he started cooperating with RAIRAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
, the Italian national public television network, for a number of television programmes.
Among his activities, he has worked as consultant for UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, the Istituto Luce, Rome’s National Gallery of Modern Arts
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, or the National Gallery of Modern Art , is an art gallery in Rome, Italy, dedicated to modern art....
, was President of the International Scientific Film Association and of the Italian Scientific Film Association, and research director in the field of audiovisuals for the National Research Council (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
The Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche or National Research Council, is an Italian public organization set up to support scientific and technological research. Its headquarters are in Rome.-History:The institution was founded in 1923...
), the National Film School (Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia
Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia
The Centro sperimentale di cinematografia was established in 1935 in Italy and aims to promote the art and technique of cinematography and film....
) and RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
.
He has pursued and is still pursuing historical research on the scientific origins of cinematography, and has realised experimental research to study the perception of the language of moving images through the recording of eye movements.
Later career
From 1976 Tosi has taught at the Centro Sperimentale di CinematografiaCentro Sperimentale di Cinematografia
The Centro sperimentale di cinematografia was established in 1935 in Italy and aims to promote the art and technique of cinematography and film....
and held seminars and conferences in many universities and film schools in Italy and abroad (United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Latin-American countries). Since 1988 he has also taught at the Documentary School “Zelig
Zelig
Zelig is a 1983 American mockumentary film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Allen and Mia Farrow. Allen plays Zelig, a curiously nondescript enigma who is discovered for his remarkable ability to transform himself to resemble anyone he's near.The film was shot almost entirely in...
” in Bolzano. His main teaching subjects are “History and Critic of Documentary Film” and “Scientific Documentary Techniques”.
Between 2002 and 2004 he taught, as a temporary professor, the course of Documentary Film at Rome University “La Sapienza”.
Television programs - Selected titles
- Short documentaries in the weekly programs “TV7” and “Cordialmente”, RAI-TV, 1964
- Several dozen of educational programs for RAI-TV Dipartimento Scuola-Educazione: series of lessons on chemistry, electro-chemistry, physics, nuclear physics, physics-chemistry, astronomy. Among others: Modelli di impostazione didattica: Biologia (scientific advisor prof. E. Capanna), series of lessons on history of science; Problemi di metodologia scientifica (scientific advisor prof. L. Lombardo RadiceLucio Lombardo-RadiceLucio Lombardo-Radice was an Italian mathematician. A student of Gaetano Scorza, Lombardo-Radice contributed to finite geometry and geometric combinatorics together with Guido Zappa and Beniamino Segre, and wrote important works concerning the Non-Desarguesian plane...
), series of lessons on the major scientific revolutions– 1967-1972. - Directed 50 instalments of the program "Medicina Oggi", continuing professional education programme for doctors – 1971-1973.
- Numerous instalments for the multi-annual programme "Orizzonti della scienza e della technica", from its first instalment and during its whole existence (1968–1979). Among others: In diretta dall’occhio, monographic programme on experiments on the study of ocular movements – 1969 (the experiments were then followed up by experimental research at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, in cooperation with RAI-TV and the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (1982–1994) – see bibliography.
- Fifteen instalments of a cultural programme based exclusively on photographs: Album, Fotogafie dell'Italia di ieri (in cooperation with P. Berengo Gardin) – 1977-1978. On the basis of this television series, Bologna’s Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Bologna and RAI-TV organised a photographic and audiovisual exhibition shown in many Italian and foreign cities (through the Italian cultural institutes).
- Script-writer of the TV-Film on Lazzaro Spallanzani for the series "Uomini del scienza", curator Lucio Lombardo-RadiceLucio Lombardo-RadiceLucio Lombardo-Radice was an Italian mathematician. A student of Gaetano Scorza, Lombardo-Radice contributed to finite geometry and geometric combinatorics together with Guido Zappa and Beniamino Segre, and wrote important works concerning the Non-Desarguesian plane...
– 1977. - Series of twelve television programmes (re-run four times): La scienza al cinema – 60 anni di cinema scientifico italiano – rubrica Cineteca del Dipartimento Scuola Educazione della RAI-TV – 1980-1982.
Filmography
- La battaglia di Milano (1949 – Documentary, realized on behalf of Milan’s Camera del Lavoro di Milano, on the occupation by workers of some large metal transformation factories in order to stop their dismantling – no copy to be found)
- Elettroshock (1950 – Scientific research documentary, realized on the initiative of prof. Ugo Cerletti (Rome University) to show the effects of electroshock along the zoological chain and on humans –never completed, some materials should survive in the Istituto Luce archives)
- Enciclopedia Cinematografia "Conoscere" (1952-1955 – prod. Filmeco - 12 documentary “items” (Acqua, Barometro, Clorofilla, Culla Termostatica, Elettroencefalogramma, Illusioni ottiche, Innesto, Obesità, Polmone d’acciaio, Russare, Specchio, Zero assoluto), as well as participation in management of the initiative, directed by Michele Gandin
- Inchiesta alimentare a rofrano (1954 – produced by Consiglio Nazionale delle Richerche-Istituto Luce)
- Mimetismo animale (1956)
- Riflessi condizionati (1956)
- La case dell'erpetologo (1957)
- L'universo di Dante, i cinque sensi, l'occio, i denti (1957 – didactic documentaries)
- Premio Nobel (1958)
- Le guardie del sole (1958)
- Le cure parentali E(1958 – produced by Luce, award at the International Scientific Film Festival, Moscow)
- I Roditori (1959 – produced by Luce, award at the International Festival of Film for Youth, Venice)
- Biologia del sesso (1959 – codirected by A. Stefanelli, Bucranio d'argento award at the International Scientific Film Festival, Padova University)
- Sincrotrone (1959 – award at the International Scientific Film Festival, Oxford-London, "Nastro d'argento" diploma, award at the Electronics Festival, Rome and at the Industrial Film Festival, Monza)
- Un quarto d'Italia (1961 – based on a project by Cesare Zavattini, extended documentary realized on behalf of the Associazione tra le Casse di Risparmio Italiane.
- Radiazioni pericolose (1961 – produced in cooperation with the Comitato Nazionale per l’Energia Nucleare)
- Vedere l'invisibile (1961 – produced in cooperation with the Comitato Nazionale per l’Energia Nucleare – modified version of Sincrotrone)
- L'atoma in mare (1962 – produced in cooperation with the Comitato Nazionale per l’Energia Nucleare)
- La rofessione di Capo (1963 – Five medium-length films produced for Italsider)
- Il quarto stato della materia (1964 – produced in cooperation with the Comitato Nazionale per l’Energia Nucleare, prize at the International Scientific Film Festival, Athens and at the Industrial Film Festival, Genova)
- Fusione controllata dell' idrogeno (1964 – produced in cooperation with the Comitato Nazionale per l’Energia Nucleare)
- Fall out (1964 – produced in cooperation with the Comitato Nazionale per l’Energia Nucleare, award at the Industrial Film Festival, Monza)
- Disegno industriale (1964, award at the Industrial Film Festival, Bologna)
- 1+1=10 (1964 – codirected by M. Gandin – produced in cooperation with the Comitato Nazionale per l’Energia Nucleare, prize at the Industrial Film Festival, Genova)
- Operazione qualità (1966 – Three medium-length films produced for Italsider)
- P.Q. 2 Anno terzo (1968 – produced in cooperation with the Comitato Nazionale per l’Energia Nucleare)
- Fotografia della famiglia Italiana (1969–1970, selected for the Festival dei Popoli, Firenze)
- Telecomunicare (1970)
- Pulsazioni in vitro (1970 – produced by Istituto Luce)
- La misura del tempo (1973 – produced by Mondadori)
- Un pioniere del cinema scientifico: Roberto Omegna (1974 – produced by Luce, prize at the International Scientific Film Festival, Miskolc-Budapest)
- Le vipere (1975 – produced by Luce, prize at the International Scientific Film Festival, Eindhoven)
- Acque costiere (1982 – produced by Luce)
- The origins of scientific cinematography (1990-1993 – European coproduction: I.W.F., Germany, CNRS-AV, France, Istituto Luce, Italy) – Series of three films (versions in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish):
- The pioneers - 52’
- Technical developments around the turn of the century - 17’
- Early applications - 30’.
- Elogio dell'imperfezione - incontro con Rita Levi Montalcini - (2000 - produced by Scuola Nazionale di Cinema - Archivio della memoria - Ritratti italiani n. 3) - 56'.
External links
- Il cinema prima del cinema, Publishing details castoro-on-line.it
- Cinema before cinema, Publishing details bufvc.ac.uk