MOSAICI A RAVENNA
F : Rodolfo Lombardi M : Riccardo Freda. 35mm D : 10’ Col
Film Notes
While making Teodora, I also filmed my documentary on the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna, which gave me the opportunity to admire the depictions of Theodora and Justinian. […] Aside from my personal interest, it was a complementary work, a way of understanding Byzantium. I have always loved frescoes, great paintings and mosaics. […] I’ve said it time and again, a director is a slave to a film format and the lens; a painter, on the other hand, is free. Abel Gance tried to free himself from format, and I understand his endeavors. What I think would be ideal is to change format, focal length and screen according to the shot. A vertical screen, for example, for filming a tower, and a horizontal one for a banquet.
Riccardo Freda in Eric Poindron, Riccardo Freda, un pirate à la caméra. Entretiens, Institut Lumière – Actes Sud, Arles 1994
Giuseppe Fatigati, the production man-ager of Teodora, appears as the director of the documentary.