From props to icons, a new exhibition at Turin’s National Cinema Museum celebrates key designs and objects used on Hollywood film sets that help create the magic of movies.
“It reminds me of a sacred relic,” I said. I look at it open-mouthed, as if it were a piece of the True Cross or a bone of a saint. We are in front of a glass display case with a piece of hair about twenty centimeters long. Domenico De Gaetano laughs. “I know,” he said. At first, icons had religious significance. »
All around us, the couple poses in front of the guns that Samuel L. Jackson brandishes while reciting verses from the Bible in Pulp Fiction; a group of children marvel at the Golden Snitch from Harry Potter; a family stands in front of the hat worn by Forrest Gump during his race across America.
Everyone seems to have their favorite object and the effect it has on them is a smile of wonder and recognition. That’s why we stopped at the braid from the original costume worn by Peter Mayhew as Wookiee Chewbacca in the 1977 Star Wars film.
Domenico is the director of the National Cinema Museum in Turin, housed in the impressive Mole Antonelliana, one of Europe’s grandest buildings, built the same year as the Eiffel Tower and for many years Turin’s tallest building.
From its panoramic terrace, accessible by a Willy Wonka-like lift into the center of the museum, visitors have one of the best views of an Italian city of the Po, churches, palaces and the Alps that cut across it. rise in distance.
In the spacious Mole space, visitors first discover the permanent collection, which tells the story of the beginnings of cinema and includes technology and magic lanterns. “Turin was briefly the capital of Italy and also the capital of Italian cinema,” explains Domenico. Cabiria, a great silent masterpiece of Italian cinema, was filmed in Turin.
Movie icons
In the main body of the colossal building, a corridor opens into an open space where Domenico is exhibiting and curating a new collection called “Film Icons” in collaboration with Arezzo Mundi Teatro collector Luca Cabieri and Propstore. The exhibition brings together one hundred and seventeen iconic props from Hollywood movies over the past four decades.
One of the first pieces on display on the first floor is Men in Black’s Neuralyzer, a pen-shaped device that emits a beam of light and erases the memories of anyone who looks at it. It’s ironic because the next hour is spent reliving memories from beloved films and popular film history.
From the original suit worn by Christopher Reeve in 1978’s Superman, to Captain America’s shield in The Avengers, to Gerald Butler’s armor in Zack Snyder’s 300, to the spacesuits worn by Bruce Willis’ asteroid-destroying team in Armageddon, Tom Samura Cruise has a say. . Excalibur from The Last Samurai and John Boorman’s Excalibur.
In a world where everything is digital, it’s fascinating to see the materiality of objects like Thor’s hammer. “Everybody wants to lift it and see how heavy it is,” Domenico said before adding. to whisper“Actually, it’s very light. » A giant copy crashed into the ground in front of the museum and was enthusiastically photographed.
Sci-fi and fantasy abound there, though there’s also a room with some horror icons: Freddy Kreuger’s claw-shaped glove Night’s Claws and Jason’s damaged hockey mask from Friday the 13th Vorhees Ten-year-old boy takes bloody pleasure in front of these gruesome pieces by his father being photographed while posing.
“In a true drama, a phone is just a phone,” says Domenico. “But each object in this collection is truly unique. These are design objects that we want to display as if you were painting a painting in an art gallery. No need to point out where the painting was 600 years ago. Here we simply show the prop as an artifact. »
Facing the future
Domenico sees challenges for museums in keeping up with changes in the film industry. “How do you keep an archive when you can’t buy a physical copy of the film? Now, with streaming, there are fewer movie posters. We have a collection of movie posters, but in recent years they have become increasingly rare. »
At the same time, the museum opens itself to new possibilities. Permanent virtual reality installations that attract long lines are already up and running, and a new section of the museum dedicated to the connection between video games and cinema opens this month.
Meanwhile, as I wander from facility to facility, meandering through the building, I can compare and contrast Michael Keaton’s Batman suit with Christian Bale’s headdress and George Clooney’s bat suit. Everyone has their own moments of wonder.
For me it’s the voodoo doll from Indiana Jones and the “frozen monkey brains” from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Others admire Iron Man’s helmet or ignore an invitation to Hogwarts. It may be an invitation to a magical world, but it’s amazing that it exists here on real paper.
The MOVIE ICONS: Hollywood Props exhibition runs until January 13, 2025 and is organized by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in collaboration with Theatrum Mundi and takes place inside the Mole Antonelliana in Turin.