L' ATLANTIDE

In 1919 a mediocre but captivating novel by Pierre Benoît was published that immediately became a best seller Feyder was fascinated by the novel. He had been recently pushed out of Gaumont and he was looking for some kind of grandiose vindication. Atlantide looked like an ideal subject. It was an amalgam of romantic and decadent myths that were still alive on an enchanted island in the desert region of Haggar at the ends of the colonized earth. Feyder bought the author's rights and then started his search for financial backing. He was not yet a very wellknown director, yet he dared to propose millions of francs, sums that were unthinkable for the French cinema of those years. A loan from the Thalman bank and the decisive intervention of Louis Aubert, a distributor convinced in the worldwide resonance of Benoît's novel, made the production of this colossal work possible, a work that could be compared only to Pastrone's Cabiria. Aubert guaranteed a publicity campaign in the grand style, but demanded the presence of a star in the cast. The buxom Stacia de Napierowsca was chosen to play the role of the mysterious Antinea and her interpretation was to be criticized harshly. So, Feyder set off for Algeria with the intention of going to shoot at Toggurt, 800 kilometers south of Algiers. And he was to succeed in doing this, going against the opinion of Benoît himself, who had suggested to shoot in the more domestic Fontainbleau. The choice of rigging the set on the locations of the novel turned out to be a winning one. Delluc was to say later that "the greatest star vedette of this movie is the desert." The art director Manuel Orazi put his best effort into building the scenery of Antinea's palace, set up in a film studio near Algiers. The film was released in Paris in June, 1921, and was a resounding success. It stayed on the marquee for more than a year Feyder "is a man who dared," as one of Aubert's advertisements of the time reads. And the varied populace of the cinema, we may add, proved that he was right.

Director and screenplay: Jacques Feyder.
Plot: dal romanzo Atlantide di Pierre Benoît.
Director of photography: Georges Specht e Victor Morin.
Art director: Manuel Orazi.
Music: Jemain (brani di accompagnamento alla prima proiezione).
Cast: Stacia de Napierowska (Antinea), Jean Angelo (capitano Morhange), Georges Melchior (luogotenente SaintAvit), MarieLouise Iribe (Tanit-Zerga), AbdelKader Ben Ali (sceicco).
Production company: Société Generale pour le developpement international e commercial de la cinématographie.
Italian distribution: Etablissements Louis Aubert.

CONSERVAZIONE E RESTAURO / CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION

Copia conservata presso gli Archives du Film del Centre National de la Cinématographie.
Atlantide è stato restaurato dal Nederlands Filmmuseum in collaborazione con gli Archives du Film del Centre National de la Cinématographie. Per il lavoro di restauro sono state utilizzate due copie, entrambe colorate. La prima copia, proveniente dal NFM, con didascalie in olandese; la seconda con didascalie in francese. La copia olandese, ricavata a partire da un positivo nitrato originale, è stata utilizzata per la buona qualit` delle immagini e delle colorazioni. La copia francese, invece, è stata utilizzata esclusivamente per le didascalie, con l'obiettivo di salvaguardare i caratteri grafici e le decorazioni originali.