Like the Francesca Bertini films of the later period such as La piovra (1919) and La serpe (1920), the metaphorical sense of this title is quite striking. However the metaphor of the spider in this film is not a woman, but a man. The young banker Detrieux is befriended by Carnel, a wealthy speculator, who is known as the Gold King. Carnel learns exactly how Detrieux’s affairs stand, and he uses the knowledge when he finds that Detrieux is the successful suitor of the beautiful Countess Anne, to whose hand he aspires. Detrieux is happy at a ball given by the Countess after she promises to be his wife. The proposal and its answer are overheard by Carnel’s secretary, who informs his chief. Carnel instructs his agents to buy up all the bills Detrieux has out. He threatens to foreclose unless the Countess gives up her lover and becomes his fiancée. The earlier parts of this film in the Komiya Collection were completely deteriorated. The present print only shows the later parts of the film, which was salvaged from total loss. A peculiar point of view shot and a metaphorical shot that appear in this film remind us of some images in the films of Franz Hofer.

Hiroshi Komatsu