Aphrodite has been recently discovered in the National Film Archive in London by the experts of the Bologna Film Archive while researching films for Il Cinema Ritrovato. Enlisted by contemporary Hungarian critics among the well-made but average entertainment films of 1918 which happened to be an exceptionally prolific year for the Hungarian cinema, it is now a real gem in our very poor collection of national silent films (less than 10 per cent of the silents produced in Hungary).

This highly romantic melodrama on the conflict of love and money with a perfect happy ending for the children and a sadly edifying lesson for the parents, appeals to the biggest audience, indeed. Here jealousy literally kills, and the late consequences of the passionate love affair of a painter and his beautiful model who marries a rich prince would lead to more tragedies (e.g. suicide in fear of incest) if the artist who had become a monk in his disappointment had not cared for their loved child as a guardian angel. Aphrodite is said to be the 25th film directed by Alfred Deésy (1877-1971), also an actor, whose very interesting memoirs were published a few years ago. He preferred outdoor shooting to studio work, and his cinematographer – who used to work in a German optical factory – made good use of the diverse picturesque scenery in and around Ragusa (now Dubrovnik) with its 500 year old monastery. Artistically composed spectacular scenes alternate with intimate ones and charming street sequences convey an almost documentary character while superimposed flashbacks reveal the ex-painter’s troubled mind. The opera singer Richard Kornai performs this role with remarkable restraint as compared to his partners representing the typical acting style of the early Hungarian cinema.