Istituto LUCE

Background
The Istituto Luce (L' Unione Cinematografica Educativa) is the oldest public institution devoted to film distribution for educational and informative of the world. Born in Italy in 1924, Istituto Luce quickly became a powerful propaganda tool of the fascist regime. The Institute, based in Rome, also participated in the production and distribution of films and documentaries for the cinema. In 1936, Istituto Luce ceased to report directly to the Head of the Government to move to the Ministry of Popular Culture. After the war, the Istituto Luce is engaged in production of several documentaries and films.

1st Logo (1924-1929)
Nicknames: "The Fascist Symbol", "Fasces lictoriae", "The Fasces lictoriae of Doom"

Logo: In a black background a small light appears and then rises into a searchlight which illuminates the entire background. The Fasces lictoriae fades in while the light continues to illuminate the background until it reveals the words "L.U.C.E", then it starts to zoom toward us and after it stops,the light starts to illuminate so much that the background becomes fully white while the Fasces lictoriae fades into black.

Technique: The light, the zooming and the fade to white to black.

Music/Sounds: A triumphant fanfare.

Availability: Extinct, seen on early Istituto Luce's newsreel transmissions and films.

2nd Logo (1929-1931)
Logo: We see a live action eagle moving on the background. The text "ISTITVTO NAZIONALE LVCE" then zooms down.

Technique: Live action and the text zooming down.

Music/Sounds: A cheesy fanfare with trumpets and drums.

Availability: Extremely rare, seen on Istituto Luce's newsreel transmissions and films for this short period.

3rd Logo (1931-1939)
Nicknames: "Still Eagle", "Eagle Statue", "LVCE II"

Logo: We slowly fade into a sky background with an eagle statue, while "ISTITVTO NAZIONALE LVCE" fades in. At the end the text fades out and "PRESENTA" wipes in.

Technique: The fading and the wiping.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extinct, seen on Istituto Luce's newsreel transmissions and films of this period.

4th Logo (1939-1943)


Nicknames: "The Globe", "LVCE III", "Italian Universal Clone"

Logo: We see two Fasces lictoriaes on the sides of the screen. In the center of the screen there's a globe that rotates (a la Universal Pictures) with the words "LVCE" on an equal footing of the axes of the Fasces lictoriaes.

Technique: The globe rotating.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extinct, seen on Istituto Luce's last black and white newsreel transmissions and films.

5th Logo (1943-1979, 2003)
Logo: Just an opening title saying "Istituto Luce presenta".

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the film.

Availability: Can be seen on Istituto Luce's first color films.

6th Logo (1979-1997)
Nicknames: "Istituto Luce's Eagle", "Lines Eagle"

Logo: On a blue background, we see 17 bold azure lines appearing to down to up one at time. after them are all appeared they turn into light to up to down one at time revealing an stylized eagle head (the Istituto Luce logo), a shine creates the eye of the eagle and the azure and white shadows of the words "LUCE" appears one at time, first the azure one to left to right and then the white one to right to left and at the end the words "ISTITUTO LUCE - ITALNOLEGGIO CINEMATOGRAFICO" appears one at time.

Variants: On later versions of the logo, "ISTITUTO LUCE - ITALNOLEGGIO CINEMATOGRAFICO" had been replaced with simply "ISTITUTO LUCE".

Technique: The appearing of the described subjects.

Music/Sounds: Relaxing synth piano-like tunes rising when the lines appear and then going down when they become light, a sound of a long synth organ-like chord, a dramatic trilling sound when the shine creates the eye, another rising synth piano-like tunes but with low pitch when the shadows of the words "LUCE" appears, an echoed electronic drop-like sound and a drum beat.

Availability: Uncommon.

7th Logo (1998-2002)
Nicknames: "Oil Paints Eagle", "Pastels Eagle", "The Italian Scott Free"

Logo: We see an oil paints or pastel animation of an eagle of various colors soaring from us, back to us, and then flying away to left. A gush of wind appear from left to right before "ISTITUTO LUCE" appears on the left to the screen, just before the eagle flies away to the left.

Technique: The animation which somewhat looks like the Scott Free Productions logo.

Music/Sounds: A relaxing fanfare composed by Fabrizio Baldoni.

Availability: Can be found on Italian films during the time like Pane e Tulipani. It's also available on Fabrizio Baldoni's Youtube account.

8th Logo (2003-June 5, 2009)


Nicknames: "Istituto Luce's Eagle", "CGI Eagle"

Logo: On a blue foggy background we pass though a dark blue corridor with some windows with inside clips from old Istituto Luce's films. when we exit though the corridors, the camera flies up inquadrating the corridor that will reveal to be the Istituto Luce's logo. The logo's colors gets brighter while the words "LUCE" fades one at time and a light from the words goes to down to up.

Technique: Amazing CGI.

Music/Sounds: A triumphant electronic fanfare.

Availability: The logo was first seen in some DVDs, and then on the company's distributed films from 2003 until its fusion with Cinecittà Holding S.p.A. in 2009.

9th Logo (Summer 2009- )
Nicknames: TBA.

Logo: TBA.

Technique: TBA.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Current.