The film:

An exemplary film dedicated to Galileo, the great genius forced to forswear. As it quite often happens in the Italian Cinema at that time, also in this film the historical event is connected with some personal disagreements, caused by the anger of a suitor refused by a girl, in this film the daughter of Galileo. The film, however, faces a new challenge, that rarely the directors of that time deal with: showing a genius at work. In one of the best scene of the film, Galileo, watching an incense burner swinging in a church, develops his theory of the pendulum motion; the scene is very simple and finds its strong point exactly in this simplicity.

The cinematography and the set designing of the film are also remarkable. In 1908 the painted backcloths were still common: the film uses them with a particular ability evoking wide and spacious places. The most intimate places though, as the scientist’s studio, are rich in details and recreate that time atmosphere and the psychology of the characters.

The film restoration:

The preservation of Galileo Galilei was carried out by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema di Torino and the Cineteca del Friuli of Gemona, based on a colored nitrate print conserved at the Cineteca di Gemona. From  the nitrate print, a dupe negative and positive color prints were printed on safety film, using the Desmet method.

The restoration was conducted at the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in Bologna in 1997.

Link Vimeo Cineteca MNC:

https://vimeo.com/398483886

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