Abstract

A few months after the Italian debut of the Pathé-Faits Divers newsreel (February 1910), Jarro (Giulio Piccini, 1849-1915) drew inspiration from «cineattualità» – cinematic actualities – to write a short story titled Cinematografisti tra i cannibali - come si può diventar milionari al Cinematografo (Cinematographers among the Cannibals - How One Can Become a Millionaire at the Cinematograph), part of the Novelle del Cinematografo. The tale is divided into two parts. Jarro begins by recounting the odyssey of a cameraman, Calcaverino, who, at the behest of the «Mathè», sets out to film the «fiercest race of cannibals». In the final part, set in Europe, the narrative shifts to investigative action. The protagonist is a policeman, Gasparo Obritti, tasked with searching for the sole heir of the late Calcaverino. Thanks to a documentary screening, Obritti locates the heir through a photographic portrait. Inspired by the myth of David Livingstone, Jarro takes for granted the encyclopedic omniscience of the medium with reference to nonfiction