[PUCCINI]
DCP. Col.
Film Notes
The film was discovered by director Paolo Benvenuti in 2007 during research for his film Puccini e la fanciulla. It was in a suitcase belonging to Antonio Manfredi along with a collection of letters penned by Puccini to Giulia Manfredi. The film was shot at the composer’s villa in Torre del Lago and on Massaciuccoli Lake. Among the famous personalities to appear in it are director Giovacchino Forzano and musician Carlo Carignani, who arranged piano adaptations for Puccini’s operas. Puccini, with perennial cigarette between his lips, smells his beloved roses; he plays a piece at the piano; he works on an arrangement; he drives a speedboat; he opens his post in the garden with Carignani; he entertains Giulia Manfredi, and Giulia’s sister and mother; he rides in a sidecar driven by chauffeur Ultimo Spadaccini and is warmly greeted by Forzano; accompanied by Nicche, his faithful jack-of-all-trades, he goes hunting in a boat.