ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: VENICE: CARNIVAL
TAPE_NUMBER: EN9907
IN_TIME: 10:01:09
LENGTH: 03:23
SOURCES: APTN
RESTRICTIONS:
FEED: VARIOUS (THE ABOVE TIME-CODE IS TIME-OF-DAY)
SCRIPT: Italian/Nat
MASKED PARTYGOERS FIND UNITY IN REVELRY
Revellers from around the world descended on Venice this week for the city's final carnival of the millennium.
-
For a ten day period before Lent each winter, tourists flood the city for an orgy of pageants, comedy, concerts, balls and masks until Shrove Tuesday signals an end to the party.
-
The carnival in Venice is said to have originated from the Venice region's victory in the war against Ulrico, Patriarch of Aquileia, in 1162. To celebrate, dances and reunions started to take place in San Marco Square. The `Marie Feste' is one of the oldest celebrations, depicting the life of the `Serenissima Repubblica' (as Venice used to be called). The celebration, which starts with a parade of people in period costume, culminates with a mock battle.
-
This year's parade also featured an anachronistic sideline from architect LIVIO DE MARCHI, who almost stole the show with his floating sculpture of a VW Beetle.
-
The carnival period is traditionally a time of excess and unity in revelry, as mask- wearing hides all social division. All open spaces are thronged with people intent on partying, singing and playing games of chance.
-
Today people come from the world over to attend private and public masked balls. Theatrical performances and an array of ancient games are organised for Venetians and visitors alike.
-
In its 18th century heyday, Carnival began on December 26th and lasted until Ash Wednesday. The non-stop partying, gambling and general irresponsibility reflected the decline of the Venetian Republic, which had begun to lose wealth and power with the rise of Dutch and British trade in the 1600s. After Napoleon conquered Venice in 1797, the Republic was finished and so were the remnants of the Carnival.
-
Since the early 1980s the carnival has grown in popularity, to the point where the annual celebration is one of the city's biggest civic events of the year.
SHOTLIST: xfa
SHOWS :
GVS VENICE ; GVS MARIE PROCESSION ; MOCK RE-ENACTMENT
BATTLE ; ACROBATS ; GVS OPENING CEREMONY ; VS MASKED PEOPLE ; GVS
VENICE CROWDS ; ARCHITECT LIVIO DE MARCHI DRIVING HIS FLOATABLE
VOLKSWAGON SCULPTURE ; SOT DE MARCHI (ITALIAN); DETAIL DE MARCHI
SCULPTURE ?