[Cruise from Genoa to Naples]

Synopsis

A silent amateur 9.5mm reversal film presented without intertitles. Preserved by Fondazione Home Movies – Archivio Nazionale del Film di Famiglia, Bologna, the film documents a short cruise aboard the ocean liner Rex, departing Genoa on 17 April 1934 and arriving in Naples the following morning. Organised by Genoa’s Company Recreation Club, the voyage served as a preparatory run before the Rex’s transatlantic crossings. The footage includes scenes of the ship and its passengers, with Ludovico Maria Chierici and his son Enrico alternating use of the 9.5mm camera. As Paolo Simoni notes in the 2025 Pordenone Silent Film Festival catalogue, the Rex—a symbol of Fascist Italy and maritime ambition—was later immortalised in Fellini’s Amarcord, despite never having sailed the Adriatic.