Francesca Bertini

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

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.

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

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

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

No synopsis available yet.

A former silent film actor who has saved old movies of his time from destruction 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, daughter of the Marchioness of Río Zares, marries the politician Andrés. Despondent, Countess Zicka launches the lie that she is a spy.

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.

No synopsis available yet.

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).

One evening at a ball, Count Georg de Clermont-Latour—a man who places great importance on convention and traditional notions of honor—surprises a young man in his wife Odette’s bedchamber. Despite her protestations that she had rebuffed the presumptuous youth and behaved with neither impropriety nor infidelity, her husband refuses to believe a word she says and casts her out of his home.

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.

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.

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

The frenetic pace of the edit was intended to match the action, based on Article 635 of the French criminal code stipulating that after 20 years on the run, a penal colony escapee can regain his freedom if he evades capture by the police.

No synopsis available yet.

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.

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?

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

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.

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.

Based on Oscar Wilde's namesake drama. While praying, John the Baptist is captured and taken to Herod's palace, where he's locked in an underground prison. Herode desires Salome, but she has become infatuated with John. When he rejects her, Salome promises revenge. At Herod's feast, she demands John's head, which is brought to her. Herod then orders his soldiers to kill Salome as well.

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.

A film based on the drama of the same name by Antonio Gutiérrez, which formed the basis for Giuseppe Verdi's famous opera Il Trovatore. Count di Luna gives his sons identical medallions so that they can always find each other. Separated by fate for many years, they meet again when they both seek the hand of the same girl.

An Italian melodrama. Only the final reel survives.

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.

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.

No synopsis available yet.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

"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

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

No synopsis available yet.

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.

No synopsis available yet.

Film adaptation of the Celtic legend of Tristan and Iseult.

Directed by Emilio Ghione. Lost film.

Odette is a 1916 Italian silent drama film based upon the play by Victorien Sardou, directed by Giuseppe de Liguoro, and starring Francesca Bertini, Alfredo De Antoni, and Carlo Benetti. It was remade in 1928 and 1935, with both versions also starring Bertini. Only 25 minutes survives of the 1916 film.

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.

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.

Italian short drama from Baldassarre Negroni.

Short film.

Italian film from 1912

Film version of the play.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

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.