Fricot e l'estintore - 1913
ABOUT THE FILM : Fricot e l'estintore
Museo Nazionale del CinemaFricot and the Extinguisher
Year: 1913
“You’ll see, this fire extinguisher is efficient and simple to use” the seller seems to boast to his customer. From behind his desk Fricot doesn’t miss a word of this conversation and once alone, steals the intriguing object. The rascal then goes on the hunt for the slightest bit of smoke to test the appliance in his own way. On his comical journey, Fricot ends up with a lot of casualties: from the pipe smoker to the cobbler’s workshop via the street lamp lighter and the cook, no household escapes being untimely hosed down by the incorrigible practical joker.
An Italian short film that bears witness to the vigour of burlesque cinema in 1910 onwards.
Nationality: Italian
Actor: Armando Pilotti
Length: 5' 24"
Genre: comedy
Sound: silent with soundtrack
Original elements: black & white
Producer: S.A. Ambrosio
Composer: Rémi Boubal
Original language: Italian
A BRIEF HISTORY : Fricot e l'estintore
From 1905 the booming Italian economy encouraged a number of production companies to set up, notably in Rome (Cines) and Turin (Arturo Ambrosio Cie). So for Italian cinematographic production, the year 1910 and onwards was linked to a boom that would last up until 1918. During this period the Italian film industry was diversifying, and even if from a stylistic point of view it was marked by epics and historical films (filoni), comedy films were showcased during these years of major film production.
In an impertinent spirit typical of light comedy, Armando Pilotti plays Fricot, the man-child character that spreads chaos in the humdrum tranquillity of the town. The famous comedian of silent Italian film, Ernesto Vaser (1876-1934), was behind this popular character whose role has been played by other actors many times. Of a humour that could be aggressive and disrespectful towards social institutions, law and order and moral standards in force, comedy film at the time of silent film had a practically subversive role: it took a swipe at la bonne société by providing the most popular masses an outlet for social tension.
The highlight of comedy at this time is often based on repetitive situations and a series of adventures linked to the same hero. So apart from Fricot, the characters of Cretinetti (André Deed 1879-1931) Tontolini (Ferdinand Guillaume 1887-1977) and Robinet (Marcel Fabre 1885-1927) established themselves as essential figures of Italian burlesque cinema.
The original music for this film was composed by Rémi Boubal in 2010 in the context of the call for proposals launched in partnership with the Sacem (Société des auteurs compositeurs et éditeurs de musique – Society of authors, composers and music editors).
