The dream box

Marcel is a young gardener working for the Lumière family and, at a time when the renowned brothers are embarking on their great cinema adventure, Marcel ends up helping them. Starting out as a camera assistant, little by little the young man plucks up some courage and begins sharing tips and ideas – the world of cinema is brand-new, and even the smallest intuition can bring a dream to life, give rise to a new technique, a new way to use camera and film. Then, there is Nina, the rebellious daughter of an aristocratic French family. She does not care about having her hair done or getting married to the boy with a horse face chosen by her parents. Rather, she prefers secretly meeting up with Marcel and listen to his dreams, all inspired by a future in the emerging world of cinema. At some point in the story, the houses previously visited by the Lumière brothers are targeted by a burglar – a mystery that will lead the two lovers to make a major life decision. Quarzo and Vivarelli's book is about these two young people's beautiful adventure, made of dreams, love, and small great vicissitudes. The simple yet engaging prose will captivate readers, which, while enraptured by Nina and Marcel's fate, will also discover curious details and oddities about the birth of cinema. A book that, through the timeless magic of cinema, will leave young and old readers dreaming. La scatola dei sogni (The dream box) G. Quarzo; A. Vivarelli Editoriale Scienza, 2021