National Museum of Cinema, Turin

National Museum of Cinema in Turin (Museo Nazionale del Cinema), as is clear from the title, is dedicated to the Italian cinema and not only, but also to the history of the film studios of the city. Turin is considered the unofficial capital of national cinema. The Museum of Cinema is unique in its features. A rich collection makes it one of the best in the whole world. In addition, it is the only one of its kind in the Apennines.

History of the museum

The first cinema studio in Italy was organized in Turin in 1897. And in 1914 the first Italian feature film Cabiria was created on it. In the era of fascism and World War II, historian and film critic Maria Adriana Prolo was fascinated by the idea of ​​creating a cinema museum. With the help of journalists and entrepreneurs, the first documents and memorabilia were acquired. In 1946-1952, several temporary exhibitions were held. On July 7, 1953 the Association of the Museum of Cinema was established, Maria Prolo became its president, and in 1956 – the museum director. Its collection was placed in the Chiablese Palace, and the official opening took place on September 27, 1958. A year later the museum became a member of the National Museum Association.

In 1983, after a fire at the Statuto cinema, the museum was temporarily closed. Some collections were moved to a small cinema near the Museum of Radio in 1986. After the death of Maria Prolo in 1991, they established a fund with her name, and in 1995 they decided to transfer the collection to the place that they had chosen back in 1953. With the efforts of architect Gianfranco Gritella and designer François Confino, a modern exhibition space was created in the premises of one of the symbols of Turin, the Mole Antonellian. In July 2000 the museum was opened to visitors. Already in the first 5 years it was visited by about 2 million people, making it one of the most successful museums in Italy.

Exposition of the museum

The talented duo of the architect and designer created a truly unique exhibition space inside the historical tower. The entire assembly is placed vertically on 5 levels. Getting inside the building, the visitor seems to be in the movie. This multimedia space creates a series of visual and auditory effects, thanks to which after visiting you cannot contain the emotions.

The rich heritage includes about 1.8 million works, including films, archival documents, photographs, devices and art objects, posters, memorabilia in movies and sound recordings. The museum collection is considered one of the most precious in the world. Collections are placed from the bottom up, and this is how the museum route was built. In addition, the exposition is structurally divided into several parts:

1. Archeology of cinema. The collection represents objects used for visual representations before the advent of cinema. This is the Chinese shadow theater, optical boxes, magic lights, devices for image animation, paintings, ceramics and other rare iconographic findings. The basis of the collection are the private collections of William Barnes and Pierre Levie.
2. Photo. They make up a large part of the whole assembly, there are about 1 million of them. They represent the history of photography and cinema as an art, from silent films to sound and color films. These are photos of the scenes in the filming, as well as portraits and private shots of actors and directors.
3. Advertising. The collection emphasizes the importance of the advertising aspect. Here are posters, various promotional materials created for the PR of films, about 535,000 copies. Among the most precious copies are the old posters of theatrical and cinematographic productions.
4. Memorabilia. Here you can find exhibits used in the process of filming: stage costumes, complete and pre-sale items, sketches for outfits and costumes, animation drawings, masks and models. The collection includes toys inspired by the world of cinema and its most iconic characters. About 6000 items.
5. Collection of devices. It highlights the technical side of movies and holds about 9,500 objects. These are: cameras, projectors and laboratory equipment, magnifiers, lenses and accessories for photography, stereoscopic devices.
6. Collection of films. Founded in 1942, it has 30,000 movies on film and 41,000 movies on other media. Among them are the very first films, and the most modern ones.
7. Historical archive. It preserves unique and unpublished elements of the history of cinema: 15,000 documents that testify the lives and activities of companies, directors, screenwriters, actors and technicians.
8. Collection of soundtracks. The richest collection includes 3000 entries.
9. Library. Has 104,000 journals and 46,500 books at its disposal.

In addition to such a rich exposition, the museum holds a number of temporary exhibitions. Here, festivals are held once a year: the Torino Film Festival, which shows tapes of young authors, and the festival of films about the environment "CinemAmbiente".

Also in the museum there is a transparent panoramic elevator that raises visitors for 1 minute to a height of 85 meters. It has a beautiful view of the whole Turin.

How to get there

The Museum of Cinema in Turin is located in the historic center, in the tower Mole Antonelliana, on Via Montebello, 20/A. Nearby there are many noble residences and an interesting Museum of decorative arts. In a few minutes there are public transport stops S. Ottavio and Rossini. Trams № 7, 13, 15, and buses № 13N, 55, 56, 61, N04, N10, S04, W01, W15, W60 go to them.

Opening hours: 9:00 to 20:00, Saturday from 9:00 to 23:00. Tuesday is the day off. The ticket office closes an hour earlier. Phone number (+39) 011 813 8560.

Admission: the price of a full ticket to the museum is 11 euro, with a discount – 9 euro. The cost of the museum visit together with a panoramic elevator is 15 euros and 12 euros respectively. There is a discount for groups of 15 people and people from 6 to 26. For children under 6 – admission is free. Data of May 2018.