[San Remo]

A circa 1920 silent travelogue with French intertitles, depicting Sanremo’s urban and coastal settings through a young woman’s journey. The film transitions from religious imagery to expressive gestures, ending with scenes of local fishermen

Overview

San Remo is a silent travelogue of unknown production, dated circa 1920, preserved in a tinted 35mm nitrate print (3'25", 75 m at 20 fps) with French intertitles, held by CNC – Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée in Bois d’Arcy. As noted by Renato Venturelli in the 44th Pordenone Silent Film Festival catalogue, the film offers a visual journey through Sanremo, led by a young woman in a headscarf. She ascends the narrow streets of the old town, gathers flowers among palm trees and prickly pears, and reaches the shrine of Nostra Signora della Costa. The tone then shifts from devotional to sensual, culminating in her playful gestures at the monument. An intertitle reads, “It’s never wrong to be flirtatious,” as she adorns herself and enjoys food and scenery. The final scenes depict her barefoot on a cliff and fishermen at sea. Though incomplete, the surviving footage is of good quality. The intertitles use the historical spelling “San Remo,” referencing Saint Romulus.