1. In the Port of Genoa, Sailing Ship

A 1928 silent amateur film by Guglielmo Baldassini, showing a sailing ship entering the port of Genoa. Shot on Pathé Baby format, the footage reflects Baldassini’s interest in seascapes and light, often used as references for his paintings and prints.

Overview

1°. Nel porto di Genova, Veliero ("1. In the Port of Genoa, Sailing Ship") is a 1928 silent amateur film by Guglielmo Baldassini, preserved as a 2K DCP from a 9.5mm reversal print without intertitles. Held by Fondazione Home Movies in Bologna, the film shows a sailing ship entering Genoa’s port, likely shot from a small boat. Baldassini, a Milanese painter and etcher, used the Pathé Baby format to capture landscapes and seascapes, often as references for his artwork. His archive includes 95 reels filmed between 1926 and the early 1930s, focusing on family, Milan, coastal scenes, and mountains. He developed his films at home, experimenting with tinting, toning, and exposure correction. Many reels show emulsion decay due to aging and chemical treatments. Notes by Michele Manzolini and Mirco Santi appear in the 44th Pordenone Silent Film Festival catalogue.