Fanes in the Movies, Theater, Radio and TV

The story of theater, movies and radio-TV arrangements of the Fanes' saga lists a number of titles, although I've been unable to retrieve several significant data for a part of them.

Let's start by the theater:

- Emil Petschnig, Die Verheissene Zeit [The Promised Time], manuscript, 1928.(see Literature and Music). His text was used as the libretto for an opera by the same name, that was first staged at Innsbruck in 1928. The piece was unsuccessful and was never performed again.

- in 1937, the Italian musician Renzo Massarani (1898-1975) composed a ballet (or better "a mimic action in three acts and two intervals"), titled Boè, inspired to Wolff's legends (see more details in Music).

- Angel Morlang, a parishioner, who died in 2005, wrote about 1950 Fanes da Zacan, a drama that was first performed in the open in 1951 at La Valle/Wengen/La Val; published by the Istitut Ladin “Micurà de Rü”, San Martin de Tor, 1978.

- In 2002 the ballet "Dolomytica" was staged in Bolzano. (see Music);

- A theatrical reduction of the legend was performed in August, 2003 at Selva di Cadore and other towns of Veneto, by the "Gruppo Rajeta Teatro" of Mestre.

- In Fall, 2007 the Teatro Stabile di Bolzano has performed, with great audience and success, the drama La leggenda del Regno dei Fanes [The legend of the Kingdom of Fanes], adapted for the stage by Art Director Paolo Bonaldi from Brunamaria Dal Lago Veneri's novel Il Regno dei Fanes (see here). Among the cast, we can signal Andrea Castelli, Giorgio Bertan and Nora Fuser.

- Fabio Chiocchetti, Director of the Ladinian Cultural Institute "Majon di Fashegn" of Vigo di Fassa, authors the texts of "The secret of the Lake of the Rainbow [L segret del lech de l'ercabuan]", a show of music, narration and songs inspired by the legends of the Latemàr and the Carezza Lake, with music by Gianfranco Grisi. The work has been enacted several times in the Fassa valley and is also available on a DVD. You can find a few passages on YouTube: here and here.

- Again by Fabio Chiocchetti, and with music by Gianfranco Grisi, the show “La leggenda di Antermoia (ovvero: L mal d’amor…)” [Antermoja's legend, or the Sickness of Love...] has been staged in the days July 21st and Aug.18th, 2011, near the Gardeccia Hut. It is derived from the legend about the unhappy romance between a pretty vivena and the troubadour Man de Fjer (Oswald von Wolkenstein, in the Monti Pallidi: Mano di Ferro [Iron Hand]) and is built on the alternance of narration, music and singing, as in the oldest traditions of the Ladinian popular theater. You can find several of its passages on YouTube: you may start from here.

- I received from its Author, Kläre Wieser-French, the tragedy in five acts in German language “Die Silbernen Pfeile” [The Silver Arrows]. I’m not competent to judge its literary or scenic value, more so in a language I understand with some difficulties. I only can express my opinion as far as the legend is concerned. The tragedy follows Ulrike Kindl’s interpretation, which I can adhere to only in a very small part. In detail, I find no reason to believe Ey-de-Net to be the King of Fanes and Tsicuta’s son, and therefore that his love affair with Dolasilla would be incestuous, from the totem point of view or not.

We must quote again the radio programme :

- "Zakan - wer weiss, wann..." by the Bayerischer Rundfunk of Munich, broadcast in 2003. It is a programme in German language, during which one can listen to several Ladinian legends by the voice of Ladinian storytellers who are still preserving their oral tradition. The programme has been quite kindly made available to this site by its Authors, Dr. Andrea Zinnecker and Wolfgang Karreth, whom I'm warmly thanking again here.

As for television, I can list:

1. A dramatization for the youth, in the early seventies. Unfortunately I have no recall of it myself. Some time ago, however, I got in touch with another fan whose mother (!) reminded the image of a warrior strolling around with a hawk on his fist (The King of Fanes? Ey de Net?), and the final scene when Dolasilla (not Lujanta and/or the Queen!) disappeared into the heart of the mountain aboard a small boat, together with a marmot. The male protagonist (Ey-de-Net) was Antonello Campodifiori. My friend Franco Tauceri is advising me that the dramatization's title was I monti di vetro [The Mountains of Glass], directed by Sergio Tau. From a short search on the web we derive that the other main characters were Elizabeth Wolff e Maurizio Tocchi, and that it was produced in 1972. It seems that the musical theme told of a "knight/alone and weaponless", sung somewhat like in Herbert Pagani's style.

2. The Prisma film, ( PRISMA soc.coop.- Via Brennero - Brennestr. 20/e, 39100 - Bolzano) staged in 1986 "Fanes", a multivision about the Fanes' saga, with a contribution by the Unione dei Ladini della Val Badia (it is unclear if, when and where it has ever been broadcast);

3. The Italian TV, Alto-Adige section, produced in 1988 "Il Mistero dei Fanes [The Mistery of the Fanes]", directed by Angela Berzuini with an important cast of actors. The Author the original radio progfram, in 13 episodes, is prof. Marco Maria Tosolini, composer and performer of the music, who very kindly got in touch with me.

Last but not least, as far as movies are concerned:

- A group of young Ladinians, lead by Susy Rottonara, Roland Verra and Hans-Peter Karbon has staged for Karbon Videoproduktion the interesting movie "Le Rëgn de Fanes", directed by Roland Verra. The movie, played in several Ladinian dialects, is available as a DVD undertitled in Italian, English and German, and has also been broadcast by the Italian TV - Alto Adige. Key roles are played by Susy Rottonara, Tone Palfrader, Cristina Nagler Crazzolara and Edi Croce. The protagonist and co-author, Susy Rottonara, has collected on a CD the original musics that she composed (see Music). The movie music has recently been conferred a prized international award at the Renderyard Film Festival. The ceremony (see photo) has taken place in London in Oct., 2007. In april, 2008, again, the "Best International Score" was conferred upon the same music at the Garden State Film Festival at Asbury Park (New Jersey, USA).

.In 2009, the movie was present at the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival, where it obtained the following awards:

- 2.nd absolute award in the category Foreign Films
- 1.st prize as Best Foreign Film Digital Effects
- 1.st prize as Best Foreign Film Special Effect (Make-up)
- 1 st prize as Best Foreign Film Stunts
- 1.st prize as Best Foreign Film Costume Design
Best congratulations to Authors and Performers!