Cinepanoramica(1911–1929)

Filoteo Alberini, born in Orte, in the Lazio region of Italy, in 1867, was a filmmaker and a pioneer of photographic and cinematographic technologies. Thanks to the invention of his “Kinetografo” (1895), he was the first Italian to join the frenetic race of inventions and patents that burst forth at the dawn of cinematography (Prolo, 1951: p. 15). He also made many contributions that proved fundamental to the birth of the Italian film industry, as well as the development of film industries worldwide. For example: he founded the first Italian production company Alberini & Santoni, in 1905, which later changed its name to Cines (Società Italiana Cines); he realised the first Italian fiction film La presa di Roma (1905); as well as producing numerous patents and inventions, such as a mechanical device for cleaning film (1907), the Cineorologio, a sort of pocket-sized cinematograph (1911), a stereoscope (1923), and many more besides.

Of all his inventions, one of the most important was undoubtedly the Cinepanoramica, an apparatus for shooting in wide-gauge 70mm format, patented on March 13, 1911. On the industrial property rights certificate (Italian patent 115.957, 1911), the invention is described as: a “new apparatus for capturing cinematographic frames”. The first experimental version required its own proprietary projector and was therefore very expensive. To bring the cost of the technology down, Alberini continued with modifications and improvements right up to 1929.

Following initial experiments carried out by the inventor himself, director Enrico Guazzoni used the Cinepanoramica for some scenes of the historical feature films Madame Tallien (1916) and Il sacco di Roma (1920). While the wide format proved to be excellent for filming epic, crowded scenes – as well as other subjects of a spectacular and grandiose nature – the technology was utilised primarily because of Alberini’s close friendship with the director.

In June 1914, Alberini presented an experimental camera to the Royal House of Italy, news of which was reported in the press (Lombardi, 2024: p. 184). Nevertheless, the Cinepanoramica failed to find significant uptake in his homeland. Alberini’s proposal of this gigantic 70mm format, compared to the 35mm standards of the day, was incredibly innovative – however, it would probably be true to say that the nascent moving-image industry was not yet ripe enough for such technology (Lalli, 2004: p. 101).

Having achieved no success in Italy, Alberini decided to try his luck in the United States, where he stayed for four years. 

In May 1924, he presented the Cinepanoramica with its first modification (standard 35mm reduction prints from a 70mm negative) to the convention of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers in New York. During this event, Alberini presented a comprehensive report on how Cinepanoramica worked and presented some of his experiments, including 70mm and 35mm projections.

Giovanni C. Ziliotto reported on this presentation in detail for Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, heralding the invention as a turning point, insisting that, “Mr. Alberini has started in the right direction towards the goal for better pictures.” On the other hand, he also highlighted some features that could be improved: “I do not want to detract from the mechanical skill and ingenuity of Mr. Alberini, but, as a mechanical engineer, I have to say that many features can be improved upon.” (Ziliotto, 1924: p. 212)

All in all, the invention was well received, and the significant scale and scope of discussion, reported following the presentation, suggests the high level of interest it aroused. It was also reviewed positively in moving-image magazines of the time. In one particular article from The Moving Picture World, the author concluded with a confident statement: “In my opinion, Mr. Alberini's invention will find a place in industry.” (Richardson, 1924)

Ultimately, the Cinepanoramica did not achieve its hoped for success, so Alberini attempted to sell on the patent in the hope of finally seeing his innovative technology exploited. He recalled: “I finally signed a contract with a modest company, ‘Widescope’, and only I know exactly how many and what injustices I had to endure. In November of 1926, with my own eyes I witnessed – at the Cameo Theatre [New York, NY] – the screening of a number of films shot with my device, under the name Natural Vision Pictures and with the invention attributed to some fellow I’d never heard of!” (Alberini, 1930). [Editor’s note: Alberini’s recollection is mixing two different formats and is likely misleading. His original letter makes reference to “Vitescope” which historians have interpreted as Widescope. Widescope did have a demonstration screening in New York in 1926 at the Cameo Theatre. It seems unlikely that Natural Vision was related to Alberini’s invention in any way]. In all likelihood, it’s probable that the patent was purchased less with the aim to develop Albertini’s original invention, than to eliminate competition and extract inspiration from it. 

Now a distant country, and Alberini being no expert in commercial matters, the invention was exploited by others (Pantieri, 1994: p. 52), or perhaps it did indeed simply serve as inspiration. In fact, the patent battle at the time tended to overlook many other inventors, highlighting only those with definitive inventions and perhaps linked to economically stronger companies.

Alberini's stubbornness led him to take legal action to obtain proper recognition from the Widescope. Unfortunately, this battle ultimately proved to be fruitless and ruined the inventor financially (Alberini, 1930).

In 1928, the Fox Film Corporation purchased the Alberini patent from Widescope, and after making a series of improvements, launched Fox Grandeur to the public in 1929 (Lombardi, 2024: p. 189), a novelty that received considerable press coverage, but which, at least in Italy, would have been considered old news. 

In a short article entitled “The Great Struggle”, which appeared in the periodical L’Eco del Cinema in 1929, the editor Carlo Josè Bassoli reminded readers that the invention of “wide film” had already been patented by Alberini in 1911. The author highlighted the tendency of Europeans to view American enterprises with greater expectation and satisfaction, to the detriment of those from their own nations.

Nevertheless, if there existed a certain inclination to gaze across the ocean in wide-eyed wonder, it is still essential to underline some factors that aided the Fox Grandeur launch. One was the advent of sound: the new 70mm format provided significantly increased area for the soundtrack, allowing for a higher quality of both picture and sound (Gelas, 1930). Another aspect that should not be underestimated was the decidedly larger film theatres to be found in the United States, compared to the far smaller Italian theatres which struggled to accommodate projections that were twice the standard size.

From a variety of testimonies, it is clear how embittered Alberini felt by the discovery that his beloved invention had been attributed to others and by the fact that, by and large, the Italian press failed to support him. In fact, only a few publications recalled the Italian origins of the invention. One of those was the newspaper Il Popolo di Roma, to whom Alberini wrote a letter in 1930 expressing his gratitude for their support and clarifying events surrounding the Cinepanoramica. In concluding his remarks, Alberini outlined a modification he had made to eliminate problems associated with the need to upgrade standing equipment: “Today I possess a new Italian patent, also obtained in the United States (14 August, 1928, No. 1.680.498), which resolves the problem in its entirety. The capturing of the photographic images takes place using a new device, which allows for the use of standard film instead of, as was previously the case, the wide-gauge format.” (Alberini, 1930). This new technique used 35mm film running sideways in the camera to capture high-resolution widescreen images. It foreshadowed Paramount’s VistaVision format by some 25 years. [See also Alberini-Hill]

Supporting the theory that Alberini's invention was probably bought and directly exploited in the United States, was a short article reporting the inventor's death in 1937: “Filoteo Alberini, an early inventor of motion picture apparatus, whose devices were widely used in the United States, died in Rome Monday after an operation. He was 70 years old.” (Motion Picture Herald, 1937)

Although the Cinepanoramica did not receive the recognition it deserved at the time, it contributed to the international advancement of cinematographic technologies. The invention may simply have been too far ahead of its time, as it clearly inspired subsequent wide-gauge formats and significantly anticipated those of the 1950s, such as CinemaScope and Todd-AO.