La Montagne infidèle
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| La Montagne infidèle | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jean Epstein |
| Cinematography | Paul Guichard |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 24 minutes |
| Country | France |
La Montagne infidèle (English: The Unfaithful Mountain) is a 1923 French silent film directed by Jean Epstein. It is a documentary film about the 1923 volcanic eruption of Mount Etna in Sicily.
The film begins with images of the rural, fertile and tranquil Sicilian countryside. It then shows the devastation wrought by lava flows near the town of Linguaglossa: houses buried by lava, destruction of farmland and infrastructure, and the impact on local inhabitants.
The film culminates with shots of the volcano itself: lava rivers, the erupting craters, close-up views of molten flows, including a lava front reportedly 150 metres wide, according to intertitles.
Alongside the natural spectacle, the film occasionally captures human presence, including fleeing villagers and local reactions.
Production
On 16 June 1923 in Sicily, two craters of Mount Etna erupted. Pathé Newsreels decided to send a team to film the event. Under exclusive contract since January, Jean Epstein was chosen to travel to Sicily with a small crew (Paul Guichard, cameraman, and Léon Donnot, assistant), camera equipment, and unexposed film. With great daring, they filmed the spectacular lava flow and the devastation it caused to the surrounding villages, and returned with a 500-metre documentary.[1]
