Entrepreneurs and the State in the Italian Film Industry, 1919-1935

This article explores the early history of the Italian film industry with particular emphasis on the Società Anonima Stefano Pittaluga. The story of Società Pittaluga (1919-1935) provides a way to contrast the development of the film industry in Italy with that in the U.S. It underlines how industry consolidation was linked to the interactions among the entrepreneur, the banking system and the state. It also raises some issues about the specificities of creative industries with regard to the adoption of protectionism policy in a context where the movie industry was seeking to spring up again