FRANCESCA DA RIMINI
Sog.: Dalla Prima Cantica Della “Divina Commedia” Di Dante Alighieri; Int.: Francesca Bertini (Francesca Da Rimini), Stanislao Ciarli (Il Buffone), Francesco Di Gennaro (Lanciotto Malatesta), Gustavo Conforti (Paolo), Giulio Grassi (Guido Da Polenta); Prod.: Film D’arte Italiana / S.A. Pathé Frères; 35 Mm. L.: 266 M. (Di Cui 235 A Colori). D.: 10’ A 16 F/S. Tinted And Stencil.
Film Notes
Just two months after her debut in Il Trovatore (FAI, 1910), Bertini was already the absolute star of Francesca da Rimini. From then on she always played starring roles, becoming FAI’s leading lady. This film tells one of the most beautiful love stories ever written, the story of Paolo and Francesca. However, the film had wide public appeal not just because of the tragic love story, but also because of the cultural value of a film based on Dante’s masterpiece. “I’ve noticed many middle-class young chaps and ladies lingering in front of the poster that explains the famous story by Dante before they enter the Sala Roma theater; therefore it is quite clear that the main attraction of the spectacle lies precisely in its great cultural value” (C. Mansueti, “La Cine-Fono e la Rivista Fono-Cinematografica”, n° 126, 24.9.1910). The film, 845 feet long, was restored by the American Film Institute in 1988, from a positive print from the period with tinting and stencil coloring.
Alessia Navantieri