Film Restored – Lecture and Screening ‘Un chapeau de paille d‘Italie’ (The Italian Straw Hat)

Transnational

Lecture

“The Albatros Studio in Paris: ‘The Italian Straw Hat’ – an “old” comedy in a modern style?” with Émilie Cauquy (Cinématheque française, Paris)
In English

The rise of the legendary Albatros film studio in Paris is a fascinating story of amalgamation, integration, and adjustment. Founded by White Russian émigrés Alexandre Kamenka and Joseph N. Ermolieff, the production house developed its own style that is worthy of recognition even today. It made light, witty comedies à la française. ‘The Italian Straw Hat’ exemplifies the transition from early French cinema to the American comedic style. 

Screening

‘Un chapeau de paille d‘Italie’ (The Italian Straw Hat)
FR 1928, Director: René Clair

Original with English subtitles
Original format: 35 mm, 1:1.37, bw & tinted
Screening print: DCP, 115 min, Cinémathèque française

Introduction: Émilie Cauquy (Cinémathèque française, Paris)

René Clair’s first big success was also his second directorial outing for Albatros Studio. In this French comedy, a horse eats the hat of a married woman, while she is enjoying guilty pleasures with her lover. In this silent film adaptation, a rather conventional and wordy stage play, René Clair created a visually effective burlesque piece that skillfully melds American slapstick and the traditions of French silent comedies à la Max Linder.

→ Register until 20 Oct 21 at registration_fr [at] deutsche-kinemathek.de (registration_fr[at]deutsche-kinemathek[dot]de)