Edisonvolta

Two middle-aged men work as caretakers on an isolated dam construction site high in the snow-capped Italian Alps. When one of them leaves for the valley to spend Christmas vacation with his family he is temporarily replaced with an adolescent boy. The other man is both annoyed and intrigued by the boy and his habits: he listens to loud music, sleeps too long in the mornings and doesn't drink any alcohol. They barely speak to one another in the first couple of days. But when an avalanche cuts their small hut from electricity they slowly start growing more fond of each other.

At the end of the war, he was hired by Edison and in 1951 he made a film on all the important hydroeletrical plants built in that period. In the following years, Olmi directed around 40 documentaries, including La diga del ghiacciaio, Pattuglia di Passo San Giacomo, Tre fili fino a Milano, Michelino 1aB (written by Goffredo Parise), Manon finestra 2 and Grigio (whose screenplay was written by Pier Paolo Pasolini).

The activities of the Edison colonies in Cesenatico, Marina di Massa, and Suna. A few animated sequences and the narration of a child describing the images like a nursery rhyme characterize this documentary, which illustrates the company's activities outside the workplace. Beach games, puppet shows, and performances staged by children, aided by carefully chosen shots, narrate the colorful and carefree world of company-subsidized vacations.

Visual illustration of D'Annunzio's poem of the same name read by Giorgio Albertazzi.

Snow arrives in Val Chiese and work on the dam stops. Winter caretakers appear on the scene to replace the workers.

Story of a retired old man who is learning what to do with himself.

The construction near Syracuse of factories for the manufacture of chemical products for agriculture and other applications.

The story of Michelino, who enrolls in Edisonvolta's electrical engineering school and thus opens himself up to the future.

This documentary shows the construction of a high-altitude dam by the Sabbioni Glacier, and the daily struggles of the workers, now anxious for the outbreak of a mine, now silent for the nostalgia of the distant family.

The laboratory tests and complex work involved in constructing the dam in the Lei Valley are described in detail to give an idea of the complexity of building the Lei Rhine dam. Among double-curved arch dams, this one has the widest crest in the world. The construction of the dam is punctuated by the long speeches and anecdotes of an elderly master builder.

A weekend in the mountains.

A documentary showing workmen erecting one of the pylons and stringing up three cables which will eventually reach to Milan.

An accidental interruption of the S. Giacomo Electric Line requires the intervention of a team of specialized technicians. The short movie follows these men to the place of intervention, dwelling on the beautiful snow-capped landscapes and the local inhabitants engaged in their daily activities.

The story of the Stura River, bent by human ingenuity. The disorderly course of the river and the dam, resembling a 200-meter-long concave hand, are the tools necessary for energy production.

The guardian of the great dam reflects on the history and beauty of the valley, which was revitalized by the Edison power plant, and expresses his deep love for the disappearing traditions and society there. The filmmaker approaches his work by focusing on a theme, finding authentic places and people, and allowing them to become comfortable with the camera before beginning the filming process.

Documentary produced by the Propaganda Office of “Costruzione Meccaniche Riva S.p.a.” in collaboration with the Cinema Section of “Edisonvolta S.p.a.”. It illustrates in detail the construction of a Pelton wheel: from the design phase to construction and transport to its final destination. Every technical and logistical problem was solved thanks to the professionalism and joint efforts of technicians and workers, who together conceived, designed, and implemented the project.

Images of the construction of the Sabbioni dam, which submerged a glacier tongue to build a hydroelectric power plant.

Next to the Venice of canals, palaces and squares, in Marghera there is a modern Venice made up of factories and industries.

The documentary was made on the occasion of the Seventh International Congress on Large Dams held in Rome in 1961.

After a big flood some Calabrian children are sent to Milan.