2026
World War I seen through the eyes of a child: this is the prologue of the historic silent stop-motion medium-length film, La guerra e il sogno di Momi, presented for the first time with the previously unreleased score performed live by Roberto Paci Dalò.
The 1917 film has been restored by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin from a lacunose nitrate copy, imbibed and toned, preserved by the Cineteca Italiana in Milan, from 35mm safety copies printed in the 1960s and from 16mm material printed in the 1980s, held by the MNC. The colourisation has been reproduced using the imbibition and toning techniques employed at the time of the film’s production. The story was conceived and realised by the “special effects” wizard Segundo de Chomón.
“In one of the frequent letters he sends to his family and to little Momi, the father, a fighter at the front, recounts the adventure of Berto, a heroic mountain child who saves his mother from an Austrian raid, running to ask the Italian troops for help.
Momi is deeply impressed and falls asleep on the sofa with his favourite soft toys, Trick and Track, who, magically, together with the toy soldiers, begin to come to life and gradually unleash a total war, with heavy artillery attacks, chemical weapons and air raids on the village of Lilliput. The onslaught is such that they end up involving even Momi, still asleep, pricking him with bayonets. But the battle was only a dream. Momi wakes up and, together with his mother and grandfather, prays for the parent’s return.”
«Here is the masterpiece of technique and trickery. This film, which has cost time, effort and much money, takes the spectator into a kingdom of puppets who wage war like the men of today. Enough to leave one amazed!
The performance of the puppet armies is marvellous, since the trickery is executed to perfection. The performance of the “flesh-and-blood” artists is very good, and I note Gemelli, Nepoti, the little and dear Stellina and the young artist Petrungaro. All the others are good. The photography is worthy of the work».
Angelo Menini, Naples, year IV, 20 april 1917, p. 19, column “‘Film in giro”.
The restoration, dedicated to the memory of Maria Adriana Prolo, was carried out at Bruno Favro’s laboratory in Turin in 1991. The National Museum of Cinema of Turin and the Strade del Cinema Cultural Association of Aosta published the restored edition of the film on DVD within the volume Omaggio in musica a Segundo de Chomón.
