Giuseppina

This is a modern classic in the guise of a half-hour industrial film. Why is it not better known? It should be celebrated in books, magazines, websites and fan discussion groups!

GIUSEPPINA, filmed in color, became known to British tv viewers in the mid- to late 1960s because it was often broadcast in off-hours as a kind of moving test pattern, a sales incentive in tv dealerships showing off their latest colour television sets.

The film itself, largely dialogue-less and reminiscent of the visual comedy of Jacques Tati, is an endearing story, told with utmost simplicity. Filmed on one location in rural northern Italy, it is centered on the life of 9-year-old Giuseppina whose father runs a BP petrol station.

The film won numerous awards, including an Oscar.