In the wake of the immense success en­joyed by Nozze d’oro (Golden Anniversary, 1911) and by I Mille (The Thousand Men, 1912), in 1913 the Ambrosio Studios intensified its commitment to the pro­duction of films surrounding the theme of the Risorgimento with three films on the subject: Il notturno di Chopin (Cho­pin’s Nocturne), Le campane della morte (The Death Knells) and La lampada della nonna (Grandmother’s Lamp). The latter of these, which recounts an episode from the Second War of Independence, makes use of what was at the time a popular nar­rative expedient in historic-patriotic films: the flashback. Through the tales of their grandmother, the children relive the hero­ism of the Risorgimento, with a common ideal uniting past and present: the name and honor of the Nation. The film, note­worthy for the stunning cinematography by Giovanni Vitrotti, was withdrawn from the theatres due to public protests against Austria, which in 1913 was still Italy’s ally.

Giovanni Lasi