Francesca Bertini

Bellissime

Documentary consisting of archival footage that depicts the evolving conditions of Italian women during the first half of the 20th century.

Diva Dolorosa

In this mesmerizing collage of silent Italian melodrama, found-footage filmmaker Peter Delpeut (Lyrical Nitrate) affectionately captures the spirit of the World War One-era cinema diva. In all-but-lost gems such as La donna nuda (1914), and Tigre reale (1916), superstars such as Lyda Borelli and Pina Menichelli portrayed heroines teetering dangerously between defiant indulgence in sexual passion and hysterical remorse at their own cruelties. Delpeut’s inventive celebration of Black Romanticism is both striking and heartbreaking in its composition—a beautifully woven narrative of tempted fate and self-torment, elegantly guided by Loek Dikker’s original score. Zeitgeist Films is proud to present Delpeut’s stunningly experimental work in all its heaving bosomed, luridly tinted glory.

The Last Diva

Documentary in which 94 year-old Francesca Bertini recalls her life and career while attending a screening of Assunta Spina.

1900

The epic tale of a class struggle in twentieth century Italy, as seen through the eyes of two childhood friends on opposing sides.

Una ragazza di Praga

A woman from Czechoslovakia escapes her homeland after the occupation by the armies of Warsaw pact to Italy to tell the tale...

The Suitcase of Dreams

In the movie La valigia dei sogni (The Suitcase of Dreams, Italy, 1953) directed by Luigi Comencini, some sequences from Cenere are inserted. The protagonist is a former silent film actor who has saved old movies of his time from destruction, and uses them to set up recreational performances at schools. After an accidental fire and the risk of prison, he meets a rich producer who helps him to build a film museum.

Dora la espía

Dora, daughter of the Marchioness of Río Zares, marries the politician Andrés. Despondent, Countess Zicka launches the lie that she is a spy.

La Femme d'une nuit

A lieutenant of the French navy, ready to kill himself in despair, renounces his project after spending a night with a beautiful stranger, the Princess of Lystrie.

La Possession

La Possession is a 1929 French film directed by Léonce Perret.

Consuelita

Consuelita, a young woman who longs to escape the harsh conditions of her small fishing village, is married off to a wealthy, mentally ill Englishman. (Melo)drama ensues.

La Ferita

Raymonde (Bertini) has had a passionate affair with Giacomo (Giorgio Bonaiti) and has a son with him. Life has taken a different turn, however, and Giacomo has married Elena (Mary Fleuron).

Maddalena Ferat

Madeleine is a beautiful married woman, hopelessly attracted to her former lover, Jacques. This obsession leads to the destruction of her life and eventually drives her to suicide, while her husband goes insane.

The Poison Mood

The dramatic events of the composer Mario Sirchi, falsely accused of murder, and his girlfriend Adonella who is revealed to have a secret sister, Nayda.

La contessa Sara

Sara is a very beautiful gypsy. One fine day, she meets a rich English woman, to whom she strangely reminds her late daughter. She decides to give her an education and after her death, makes her heiress. In Naples, the young girl meets General de Canhailles, whom she marries, despite the age difference and her attraction for Lieutenant Pietro Severac, and obtains the title of princess. Having become the adulated figure of the Parisian world, Sara refuses Severac's advances. Until the day he is sent to Algeria.

Beatrice

It tells the story of Dante Alighieri's love to Beatrice Portinari, loosely based on Dante's poetry.

L'avarizia

Maria and Luigi love each other in spite of their poverty, while she resists her many wealthy suitors. But their mutual enemies figure out a lie that will separate them. Maria will become temporarily rich but then she will commit a crime and will divert into the slums. There Luigi will meet her again.

Mariute

The actress Francesca Bertini, as every diva worthy of her name, always arrives on the set extremely late. One day, in the studio, she happened to hear a colleague actor who, back from the front, tells about the brutalities suffered by the civilians in the occupied territories. At night, still troubled by that story, Bertini falls asleep and dreams: in her dream she plays the role of Mariute, a young Friulian countrywoman, mother of three kids waiting for her husband homecoming from the frontline. One day, while she is going to the well for water, she is assaulted and molested by three enemy soldiers. Her father-in-law will avenge her. In the meantime Bertini, waking up with a start, will arrive to work on time and she will end the film inviting the public to put their savings into the war bonds.

Tosca

Film version of the play.

Gluttony

Glotonia and Frescalia are neighbor Ducal lands. In Glotonia everyone is fond of food. Young countess Frescalinda, daughter of a citizen of each country and tutored by the Great Duchess, is compelled to marry, but she has fallen in love with captain Gallardo Amore and will try everything before acceding to an unhappy marriage.

L'orgoglio

A menaced politic leaves his child with another family who will raise her unaware of her true origin. When she grows up the son of a duchess falls in love with her, but the mother rejects her based on her supposed non-aristocratic origin. Little does she suspect what truth will unveil.

L'ira

Elena and Zefor are brothers. They live with their mother in a wild country where smuggling reigns. At their modest home, Zefor plays the violin while she dances to entertain the bandits. Arturo, one of them, has conquered Elena's heart.

The Clemenceau Affair

The Clemenceau Affair (Italian: Il processo Clémenceau) is a 1917 silent Italian adventure film directed by Alfredo De Antoni. The film features the first onscreen performance from Vittorio De Sica.

Fedora

An Italian melodrama. Only the final reel survives.

The Lady of the Camellias

La Signora delle Camelie chronicles the tragic love story of courtesan Marguerite Gautier and provincial bourgeois Armand Duval. Armand’s father disapproves of the relationship and convinces Marguerite to leave Armand, making him believe that she has left him for another man.

Diana, the Enchantress

Diana is assigned to find out the details of the enemy's war tactics. Together with her partner in crime, Robertson, she manages to get in touch with Captain Argo and retrieves secret information. All is proceeding according to plan until Diana slowly gets torn by on the one hand her duty as a spy, and on the other her passionate feelings for Captain Argo.

Assunta Spina

Assunta and Michele are in love, but others come between them and jealousy arises. Assunta Spina stands out as an early landmark of naturalistic acting and a blueprint for the Italian Neorealist films to come.

Ivonne, la bella danzatrice

Ivonne is a vulgar, loose, promiscuous and a passionate danseuse at the tavern. Countess Edith is an angelic creature, exquisitely elegant, a finite and aristocratic heiress. Two sides of a woman with a split personality.

Nelly the Fast Girl

Directed by Emilio Ghione. Lost film.

Blue Blood

The Princess of Monte Cabello is divorced and is granted custody of her beloved daughter. Her ex-husband's mistress hires private detectives who take seemingly incriminating photographs of the Princess with the actor Jacques Wilson. The Princess is devastated when these cause her daughter to be taken from her, and the Princess then falls into the clutches of Wilson. In order to pay his gambling debts, Wilson forces her to humiliate herself by appearing in a play. The Princess sends a note to the Prince of Monte Cabello saying that after the first performance she will not compromise his name again.

Cabiria

Young Cabiria is kidnapped by pirates and sold as a slave in Carthage. Just as she's to be sacrificed to Moloch, Cabiria is rescued by Fulvius Axilla, a good-hearted Roman spy, and his powerful slave, Maciste. The trio are broken up as Cabiria is entrusted to a woman of noble birth. With Cabiria's fate unknown, Maciste punished for his heroism, and Fulvius sent away to fight for Rome, is there any hope of our heroes reuniting?

The Masked Amazon

Silent adventure film in which a horse riding woman has to save her husband from prison in a enemy country.

Pierrot the Prodigal

A example of female fantasy is L'Histoire d'un Pierrot (1913), based on a musical pantomime by Mario Costa with Francesca Bertini in the role of Pierrot and Leda Gys as Louisette. The young and naive Pierrot is led astray by the evil wine merchant Pochinet (Emilio Ghione). He hopes to distract Pierrot with drinking and gambling while he tries to seduce Louisette.

La terra promessa

Italian short drama from Baldassarre Negroni.

Venomous Tongues

Charles Raleigh is a cousin of Miss Clara Burton, and is secretly in love with her. She returns his affection in secret also. Time parses and George Conway makes love to Clara. She considers his proposal of marriage long and seriously and makes entry of it in her diary. About this time Charles is called to America to look after his mining interests. He arrives in time to find himself a pauper as the result of a terrific conflagration that has swept his property. He decides to make a new start, but finds the battle difficult.

Shattered Idol

"Idolo infranto is a fantastic way to appreciate Francesca Bertini in the mood for cruelty. From a tender shepherdess who inspires sublimely artistic acts, she becomes a vampire who drains souls and bank accounts with equal efficiency." - Andrea Meneghelli

The Charm of Violence

Short film.

Romeo e Giulietta

The 1912 Italian version of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.

Woman's Logic

Italian film from 1912

The Merchant of Venice

With a friend desperate for money, a merchant takes out a loan from a ruthless money-lender. Confident that his ships will soon be bringing him great wealth, the merchant willingly agrees to conditions of the loan that put him at great personal risk.

Tristano e Isolda

Film adaptation of the Celtic legend of Tristan and Iseult.

King Lear

Hand-tinted Italian verison of the Shakespeare Classic King Lear.

Salomé

Based on Oscar Wilde's version of the story, what is noteworthy is the sheer luxury of the production, an attempt to capture the wild and weird Aubrey Beardsley illustrations that transfigure the work. The sets are elaborate, with stonework and palm trees and draperies. There seem to be dozens of dress extras, courtiers at Salome's dance and soldiers.