An ode to the Turin National Film Museum

Turin is one of Italy’s most underrated cities. The original capital of Italy, it can boast some incredible palaces and is the home of the Italian car and chocolate industry. But for film fans, the main attraction is the National Museum of Film, housed in the iconic Mole Antonelliana.

If there’s one thing Italians do well, its museums. But because of the interactive nature of film, this museum goes further than others could. It manages to display the very best of the seventh art, all whilst showing visitors the sheer variety and joy that can come from it.

The building is split into two parts – the first is devoted to pre-cinema. Think optical ollusions, magic lanterns and stereoscopes. Whilst this is interesting, it’s the second half that makes this such an excellent museum. As you walk into the main area, the entire dome opens up before you, with stills of classic films such as Fritz Lang’s Metropolis projected onto the ceiling. The centre acts as a connecting area, but also as a sort of luxury cinema. You can choose between two colossal screens as you settle into a reclining cinema seat with speakers fitted in the headrest. It’s easy to spend ages here alone, as each screen has about 2 hours’ worth of footage.

Around the sides are the “chapels of film.” Essentially, small themed areas dedicated to a specific genre. The effort put into each theme is amazing. To watch cartoons, you have to squeeze through an outline of Wile E. Coyote, and to watch romantic film, you’ll have to lay on an oversized bed and stare at the ceiling.

This museum is a celebration of everything about great moviemaking and showcases the entire process, allowing both veteran and budding film fans to appreciate the incredible history behind the worldwide motion picture industry

Photo: Flickr/pietroizzo

Throughout the space, you’ll also find props from a century of international film which only add to the lustre, and if you venture even further up, you’ll also find a massive poster gallery and other themed areas, such as Rita Hayworth’s dressing room and a headshot-filled Wall of Greats. Finally, this is all crowned with a panoramic glass elevator that whisks you from the bottom of the building to a panoramic viewing platform in mere seconds.

This museum is a celebration of everything about great moviemaking and showcases the entire process, allowing both veteran and budding film fans to appreciate the incredible history behind the worldwide motion picture industry. Tracing a century and a half of history, this is the perfect complement for the yearly Turin Film Festival and is the perfect destination for any fan of the silver screen, conveying the sheer magic that comes with good film perfectly and proving that cinema is just as worthy of our time as any other art form.