The prodigal son

In 1907 Manuel de Falla moved to Paris, the centre of the avant-garde at the time, to broaden his musical horizons. Due to financial difficulties, that summer he joined a theatre company touring Europe as pianist, playing the music composed by André Wormser for the pantomime L’Enfant prodigue. It starred the famous Paris Opera dancer Emma Sandrini and was a huge success. This triumph inspired Michel Carré to make two films: one in 1906 (considered a pioneering work in the history of cinema) and the other in 1916, which will be screened during the cine-concert. Both films used Wormser’s composition.