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 CHIVTurning Back the Years: SFIFF and "Echo In the Village"
by Thomas Filmyer (USA fiba Corespondent)


"Echo in the Village" (1962)

This April, the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF) will become the first film festival in the Americas to celebrate its 50th anniversary. When the festival opened in 1957, foreign language films were rarely shown in the US outside of large city 'art cinema' houses and university film departments.

Miguel Pendás, creative director and historian of the San Francisco Film Society told the San Francisco Chronicle recently that "you have to try to put yourself back in the late 1950s and think about the general atmosphere. It's still really the Cold War. McCarthyism was officially over but the attitudes had not changed that much. There were the Beats, definitely. But they were just struggling to publish books. ... And one of the things about foreign films was that the standards in other countries were not so repressive and puritanical as here. So foreign films, by nature, were pretty controversial." Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" was shown at the first SFIFF.


Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" was shown at the first SFIFF

In preparation for SFIFF50, the festival organizers have launched a website devoted to the history of the event. (http://history.sffs.org/) The site showcases audio and video podcasts of tribute honorees at the International. Currently an audio podcast of Bette Davis speaking at the 1969 Festival is available for downloading and streaming video excerpts of Clint Eastwood at the 2001 Festival are available for viewing. Other tributes from Jacques Tati to Shelley Winters to Truman Capote will be added in the coming months, thanks in part to a partnership with Pacifica Radio Archives.

The festival has also announced the opening night film for SFIFF50 will be Emanuele Crialese's sweeping tale of early 20th century Sicilian emigration to the United States, "Golden Door (Nuovomondo)." Combining a lavish visual style with a thoroughly contemporary sensibility, "Golden Door" is the story of a Sicilian family and their tumultuous journey to America at the turn of the last century. Also on the journey aboard the overcrowded ship is a British woman with a complicated past, played by the ravishing Charlotte Gainsbourg."The Golden Door (Nuovomondo)" will open SFIFF50.


"The Golden Door (Nuovomondo)" will open SFIFF50

Another notable premiere at SFIFF50 will be the documentary "Fog City Mavericks" by local filmmaker Gary Leva. In this feature, Leva explores the cinematic achievements of early film pioneers such as Charlie Chaplin, who started his career in the SF Bay Area before moving south to Hollywood. Undoubtedly, local luminaries such as Coppola, Lucas and Eastwood will be recognized for their work, as well as the technical achievements of digital film studios Pixar and Industrial Light and Magic.

Coincidentally, 2007 marks the 45th anniversary of the SFIFF debut of "Echo in the Village." This 20-minute film was written and directed in 1962 by George Solomos, the pub- lisher of FIBA (Filmbank Publications). "Echo" was filmed in less than a week in the Italian village of Cappadocia near L'Aquila, using local talent. The film score was composed and conducted by maestro Bruno Nicolai and the cinematogra- pher was Gerard Vandenberg.

Pietro Santarelli (right) never acted before his role in "Echo"

A clear homage to Italian neo-realist cinema, "Echo in the Village" is part documentary, part drama. The film depicts the village life of Pietro, a shepherd boy who dreams of emigrat- ing to join his uncle in South America. In preparation for life abroad, he orders a language tutorial book and record to help his transition to the New World. Throughout the film, we see his grandfather and the town folk in scenes of daily life: chat- ting at the café, working at home and in the fields. Perhaps the most remarkable visual sequence is a scene of Pietro and his friends driving a herd of sheep through the village square.

Mr. Solomos (now 81 and living in London, England) described his memories of the production:

"I was living in New York City and I had already published my first novel ("The Man Who Went Away"). An American friend invited me to spend a year in Samsun (Turkey) to write another book in the fall of 1961. On the way, I stopped in Rome and was introduced to all the Italian filmmakers - from Fellini to Pasolini and others. I attended the Venice film festival late that summer where I saw Vittorio de Seta's "Banditi a Orgosolo" (1960)- my favorite film that year.
"Banditi a Orgosolo" (1962) by Vittorio de Seta

"After a brief stay in Turkey, I decided to return to Italy to see if I could make a movie instead. In late November of '61, I traveled to my father's ancestral town of Venice where I met an aristocratic Austrian gentleman who had contacts in the Roman film industry. I told him that I was a writer and that I was planning to make a film.

"Back in Rome, the Austrian put me in touch with the producers of a documentary called "Italy During WW2." (Writer's note: Mr. Solomos was a radioman in the USAF during WW2. His B-17 was shot down over France after a bombing run over Germany. He escaped capture with the help of the French Resistance.) The original narration was written by an English woman and the producers wanted me to make it sound a little more "American." I was paid very well for that job.

"At some point, the Austrian invited me to use his weekend cottage in the Abruzzi Mountains north of Rome. This turned out to be the village of Cappadocia, the location of "Echo in the Village." I decided that this would be a perfect site for the type of film I wanted to make.

Village life in Cappadocia, L'Aquila in the Abruzzi Mts.

"The hotel where I was staying in Rome was located at the foot of the Spanish Steps. The restaurant where I ate was frequented by expats of all stripes, including a refugee from Hollywood named Tony Foutz. At the restaurant one day Tony asked me 'what are you doing here?' 'Trying to make a little film,' I said. 'How much you need for that?' he asked. "About $1-grand," I replied. In a couple of days Tony produced $1-grand.

Earlier, I had met a Dutch photographer named Gerry Vandenberg. Gerry had never made a film before - but he knew his way around film cameras. We hired a mini-van, two Ariflex cameras, a dolly, plus an extra 'hand' to help with the translation. Tony obtained a large roll of DuPont 400 ASA 35-mm film and off we went to Cappadocia for a five-day shoot.
Solomos directs the filming of "Echo" on location

"I devised the scenario for ECHO on the spot. We started by shooting every scene with two shepherd boys - but Pietro was more 'natural,' so we dropped the other boy. I was so impressed with the results that de Seta had gotten with BANDIDI that I just followed his formula and used all natives in local settings. The entire village participated and (of course) none of them had any film experience. And neither did we! But we knew we were onto something special when we got the dailies back from the lab (the same that were used by the famed Cinecitta Studios) and the technicians proclaimed: "bellisimo!" "maestro!" - Wow!

"Back in Rome, we put together a rough cut and hired Bruno Nicolai to compose a soundtrack. Tony was so impressed by the results that he contacted his friend Gray Frederickson (who later co-produced "The Godfather - Part II") to put up the money for a feature that we shot later in the year. It was Gray Frederickson who brought the film to San Francisco in 1962 where it had it's US debut at the 6th San Francisco International Film Festival."

Writer's note: In August, 2002, Mr. Solomos returned to Cappadochia to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the filming of "Echo in the Village." Many of the original participants were on hand to watch the film for the first time- including Pietro Santarelli the young shepherd in the film.

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CONTENTS fiba 2007
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FILMBANK 2007

Year of the PIG

in the Village" (19


This April, the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF) will become the first film festival in the Americas to celebrate its 50th anniversary. When the festival opened in 1957, foreign language films were rarely shown in the US outside of large city 'art cinema' houses and university film departments.
Miguel Pendás, creative director and historian of the San Francisco Film Society told the San Francisco Chronicle recently that "you have to try to put yourself back in the late 1950s and think about the general atmosphere. It's still really the Cold War. McCarthyism was officially over but the attitudes had not changed that much. There were the Beats, definitely. But they were just struggling to publish books. ... And one of the things about foreign films was that the standards in other countries were not so repressive and puritanical as here. So foreign films, by nature, were pretty controversial."Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" was shown at the first SFIFF
In preparation for SFIFF50, the festival organizers have launched a website devoted to the history of the event. (http://history.sffs.org/) The site showcases audio and video podcasts of tribute honorees at the International. Currently an audio podcast of Bette Davis speaking at the 1969 Festival is available for downloading and streaming video excerpts of Clint Eastwood at the 2001 Festival are available for viewing. Other tributes from Jacques Tati to Shelley Winters to Truman Capote will be added in the coming months, thanks in part to a partnership with Pacifica Radio Archives.
The festival has also announced the opening night film for SFIFF50 will be Emanuele Crialese's sweeping tale of early 20th century Sicilian emigration to the United States, "Golden Door (Nuovomondo)." Combining a lavish visual style with a thoroughly contemporary sensibility, "Golden Door" is the story of a Sicilian family and their tumultuous journey to America at the turn of the last century. Also on the journey aboard the overcrowded ship is a British woman with a complicated past, played by the ravishing Charlotte Gainsbourg."The Golden Door (Nuovomondo)" will open SFIFF50
Another notable premiere at SFIFF50 will be the documentary "Fog City Mavericks" by local filmmaker Gary Leva. In this feature, Leva explores the cinematic achievements of early film pioneers such as Charlie Chaplin, who started his career in the SF Bay Area before moving south to Hollywood. Undoubtedly, local luminaries such as Coppola, Lucas and Eastwood will be recognized for their work, as well as the technical achievements of digital film studios Pixar and Industrial Light and Magic.
Coincidentally, 2007 marks the 45th anniversary of the SFIFF debut of "Echo in the Village." This 20-minute film was written and directed in 1962 by George Solomos, the publisher of FIBA (Filmbank Publications). "Echo" was filmed in less than a week in the Italian village of Cappadocia near L'Aquila, using local talent. The film score was composed and conducted by maestro Bruno Nicolai and the cinematographer was Gerard Vandenberg.
Pietro Santarelli never acted before his role in "Echo"
A clear homage to Italian neo-realist cinema, "Echo in the Village" is part documentary, part drama. The film depicts the village life of Pietro, a shepherd boy who dreams of emigrating to join his uncle in South America. In preparation for life abroad, he orders a language tutorial book and record to help his transition to the New World. Throughout the film, we see his grandfather and the town folk in scenes of daily life: chatting at the café, working at home and in the fields. Perhaps the most remarkable visual sequence is a scene of Pietro and his friends driving a herd of sheep through the village square.
Mr. Solomos (now 81 and living in London, England) described his memories of the production:
"I was living in New York City and I had already published my first novel ("The Man Who Went Away"). An American friend invited me to spend a year in Samsun (Turkey) to write another book in the fall of 1961. On the way, I stopped in Rome and was introduced to all the Italian filmmakers - from Fellini to Pasolini and others. I attended the Venice film festival late that summer where I saw Vittorio de Seta's "Banditi a Orgosolo" (1960)- my favorite film that year."Banditi a Orgosolo" (1962) by Vittorio de Seta
After a brief stay in Turkey, I decided to return to Italy to see if I could make a movie instead. In late November of '61, I traveled to my father's ancestral town of Venice where I met an aristocratic Austrian gentleman who had contacts in the Roman film industry. I told him that I was a writer and that I was planning to make a film.
Back in Rome, the Austrian put me in touch with the producers of a documentary called "Italy During WW2." (Writer's note: Mr. Solomos was a radioman in the USAF during WW2. His B-17 was shot down over France after a bombing run over Germany. He escaped capture with the help of the French Resistance.) The original narration was written by an English woman and the producers wanted me to make it sound a little more "American." I was paid very well for that job.
At some point, the Austrian invited me to use his weekend cottage in the Abruzzi Mountains north of Rome. This turned out to be the village of Cappadocia, the location of "Echo in the Village." I decided that this would be a perfect site for the type of film I wanted to make.Village life in Cappadocia, L'Aquila in the Abruzzi Mts.
The hotel where I was staying in Rome was located at the foot of the Spanish Steps. The restaurant where I ate was frequented by expats of all stripes, including a refugee from Hollywood named Tony Foutz. At the restaurant one day Tony asked me 'what are you doing here?' 'Trying to make a little film,' I said. 'How much you need for that?' he asked. "About $1-grand," I replied. In a couple of days Tony produced $1-grand.
Earlier, I had met a Dutch photographer named Gerry Vandenberg. Gerry had never made a film before - but he knew knew his way around film cameras. We hired a mini-van, two Ariflex cameras, a dolly, plus an extra 'hand' to help with the translation. Tony obtained a large roll of DuPont 400 ASA 35-mm film and off we went to Cappadocia for a five-day shoot.Solomos directs the filming of "Echo" on location
I devised the scenario for ECHO on the spot. We started by shooting every scene with two shepherd boys - but Pietro was more 'natural,' so we dropped the other boy. I was so impressed with the results that de Seta had gotten with BANDIDI that I just followed his formula and used all natives in local settings. The entire village participated and (of course) none of them had any film experience. And neither did we! But we knew we were onto something special when we got the dailies back from the lab (the same that were used by the famed Cinecitta Studios) and the technicians proclaimed: "bellisimo!" "maestro!" - Wow!
Back in Rome, we put together a rough cut and hired Bruno Nicolai to compose a soundtrack. Tony was so impressed by the results that he contacted his friend Gray Frederickson (who later co-produced "The Godfather - Part II") to put up the money for a feature that we shot later in the year. It was Gray Frederickson who brought the film to San Francisco in 1962 where it had it's US debut at the 6th San Francisco International Film Festival.
Writer's note: In August, 2002, Mr. Solomos returned to Cappadochia to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the filming of "Echo in the Village." Many of the original participants were on hand to watch the film for the first time- including Pietro Santarelli the young shepherd in the film.
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FILMBANK 2007
Year of the PIG