Tim Burton has conquered the Italian city that was Italy’s first capital from 1861 to 1865, and was the utmost cinematic hub at the beginning of the 20th century. Edison’s Kinetoscope arrived in Torino in 1895 and was exhibited in Arturo Ambrosio’s optical shop, in via Roma 2.
By 1908, 60% of Italian production was filmed in the Piedmontese city and its films were distributed everywhere in the world. To celebrate the extraordinary film vestige of this city, there’s the National Museum of Cinema that houses pre-cinematographic optical devices and current film technologies. Turin represents the ideal place to homage the director of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, since it’s also the city of magic and chocolate.
The motion picture museum celebrated the artistry of Tim Burton with an exhibition that opened on October 10th 2023 and will run until April 7th 2024. This occasion celebrates the artistic style called “Burtonesque”: although he is widely known as a director, Tim Burton is a prominent artist in the fields of fine art, photography and sculpture, working in the spirit of Pop Surrealism. The art show was also an opportunity to shine a light on all those who have worked with Burton, as attested by the commemoration of Paul Reubens who starred in his first film. The exhibition, The World Of Tim Burton, was conceived and co-curated by Jenny He in collaboration with Tim Burton and adapted by Domenico De Gaetano, Director of the National Cinema Museum.
The World Of Tim Burton is divided in nine sections: Around the world (drawings on notepads, sketchbooks and even hotel napkins), Polaroids (photos the filmmaker took during the Nineties), Influences (artwork that was made inspired by cartoonists and illustrators), Figurative Works (collections of private artworks), Unrealized Projects (a glimpse into stalled endeavors), Film Characters (Burton’s entire filmography from the 1985 Peeweg’s Big Adventure to the 2022 Netflix series Wednesday), Carnivalesque (the distorting relationship imagery of the Burtonesque style), Holidays (the way vacations served as a creative motif), Misunderstood Outcasts (a celebration of the soul of his characters).
To connect Turin’s cinematic history with the present, Tim Burton was asked to sign one of the zoetropes (pre-film animation devices) that is exhibited in the permanent collection of the museum.
During the opening night of the exhibition, the film director was bestowed with the Stella della Mole Award, as an important recognition for his visionary and innovative contribution to the world of moving pictures.
During the press conference the American filmmaker explained that this was the first time he visited Turin and how the exhibition that has been traveling the world — since it was first presented at MoMa in 2009 — has found the most suitable of homes at the National Museum of Cinema for its architectural whimsy. This is something that also Enzo Ghigo, President of the National Museum of Cinema, underlined: “The architectural folly of the museum and Mole Antonelliana is a good match with the visionary folly of Tim Burton.” Furthermore, Domenico De Gaetano, Director of the National Cinema Museum, expressed that “Hosting Tim Burton in Turin is a dream come true because Burton crosses all generations with films that go back to the Eighties to his most recent Netflix series. Above all what is striking is how he has always given a voice to outsiders.”
On the evening of October 11th the National Museum of Cinema held a Masterclass at Cinema Massimo with Tim Burton, moderated by Piera Detassis. Just before the event, the filmmaker dedicated time to his fans, who met him on the violet carpet. Throughout the Masterclass, clips of Burton’s films became the spark for a compelling chat where he shared his sources of inspiration — like Ray Harryhausen’s skeleton fight in Jason and the Argonauts for The Nightmare Before Christmas — and his longtime collaborations with people such as Danny Elfman, who he has been working with since Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. When asked about the way he approaches his characters, Burton replied he always seeks something personal: “For Batman, I wasn’t a comic book fan, but I loved his Phantom Of The Opera quality and I looked for something I could identify with.” The filmmaker from Burbank described also his connection with Italian cinema and how during his youth he watched films by Mario Bava and Federico Fellini.
In terms of his position to A.I., Tim Burton has stressed how it all comes down to the use one makes of technology and joked “I have a secret to reveal, I am a robot I don’t need A.I., I am the A.I.” Tim Burton further shared his insight on the times we are living in by saying: “Perhaps there is too much politically correct, now I don’t know if it’s more about diversity or being woke, but there’s a rebellion in this sense.”
The Turinese celebrations of Tim Burton’s career ended with the screening of one of his most famous films, Beetlejuice. The choice was very fitting, since after 35 years, Beetlejuice 2 is expected to be released in 2024. Another upcoming Burtonesque work that is much awaited is Tara Wood’s documentary that will retrace the life and artistry of this extraordinary filmmaker. The World Of Tim Burton, truly brings to audiences an artist who is “The Last Of Its Kind” as the tagline of the exhibition expresses.
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