| Assunta Spina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Gustavo Serena |
| Written by | |
| Based on | Assunta Spina by Salvatore di Giacomo (play) |
| Produced by | Giuseppe Barattolo |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Vittorio Storaro (senior) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 73 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Languages | Silent film Italian intertitles |
Assunta Spina is a 1915 Italian silent film. Outside Italy, it is sometimes known as Sangue Napolitano ("Neapolitan Blood").
Assunta Spina is a laundress living in Naples, engaged to a violent butcher named Michele Mangiafuoco. She is also courted intensely by Raffaele. When she accepts Raffaele's offer to dance during an open air feast in Posillipo, as she feels Michele is ignoring her, tragedy strikes. Michele, blinded by rage, slashes her face and is subsequently arrested. During the trial she bears witness in order to rescue him, saying he never wounded her, but the jury does not believe her. She is enticed by the court vice-chancellor to strike a bargain—Michele will stay in the nearby prison of Naples instead of Avellino, and at the end of the punishment Michele will kill the vice-chancellor before Assunta's eyes. She must take responsibility for the act before the eyes of the police in order to save her man.
The original novel from which the story was taken was written by Salvatore di Giacomo, and had been adapted to a successful theatre drama in 1909. Before Francesca Bertini became a famous actress, she would perform in this drama as a walk-on in the laundry scenes. Five years later, when she had started her career as a film actress, she and actor-director Gustavo Serena adapted the drama for film. Bertini is sometimes listed as co-director of the film. Bertini claimed with some support that she was the director of the film. [1] The film stock was colorized with 4 colors and distributed worldwide by Caesar Film.[ citation needed ]
 | This section possibly contains original research .(December 2014) |
Francesca Bertini fully displayed her talent for the first time, introducing a new style of acting on the Italian silver screen. [1] Her performance is generally rated as extraordinary,[ citation needed ] and in polar opposition to the work of writer and dramatist Gabriele D'Annunzio, who was very popular at the time.
For example, the movie Cabiria by Giovanni Pastrone (1914)—one of the first known films where a camera moves through scenes while filming—was once considered a masterpiece at least in part because D'Annunzio had written the captions, but to modern moviegoers they seem excessively emphatic and redundant. The same can be said of the marked gestures of many actors and actresses of the silent era. Bertini wanted to end this affected behavior, so she focused on realism. Her performances bear a closer resemblance to reality because of some acting devices: never look into the camera, use everyday gestures, and so on. This acting style also reduced the need for captions explaining the action.
In 1930 the plot of Assunta Spina inspired a new film by Roberto Roberti. Another was produced in 1948, directed by Mario Mattoli, with Anna Magnani and Eduardo De Filippo as the protagonists.
La Dame aux Camélias is a novel by Alexandre Dumas fils, first published in 1848 and subsequently adapted by Dumas fils for the stage. The play premiered at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Paris, France, on February 2, 1852. The play was an instant success, and Giuseppe Verdi immediately set about putting the story to music. His work became the 1853 opera La traviata, with the female protagonist, Marguerite Gautier, renamed Violetta Valéry.
Francesca Bertini was an Italian silent film actress. She was one of the most successful silent film stars in the first quarter of the twentieth-century.
Gustavo Serena was an Italian actor and film director. He appeared in 107 films between 1909 and 1961. He also directed 33 films between 1912 and 1932. He was born in Naples and died in Rome.
Assunta Spina is a 1948 Italian drama film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Anna Magnani, Antonio Centa and Giacomo Furia. It was adapted from Salvatore Di Giacomo's 1909 play of the same title. It was released in the United States with the title Scarred. It was shot at the Farnesina Studios in Rome and on location in Naples. The film's sets were designed by the art director Piero Filippone. Distributed by Titanus it earned around 70 million lira at the domestic box office.
Assunta Spina may refer to:
Fire Over the Sea is a 1947 Italian drama film directed by Michał Waszyński and Vittorio Cottafavi and starring Carlo Ninchi Evi Maltagliati and Silvana Jachino.
Giuseppa Iolanda Menichelli, known professionally as Pina Menichelli, was an Italian actress. After a career in theatre and a series of small film roles, Menichelli was launched as a film star when Giovanni Pastrone gave her the lead role in The Fire (1916). Over the next nine years, Menichelli made a series of films, often trading on her image as a diva and on her passionate, decadent eroticism. Menichelli became a global star, and one of the most appreciated actresses in Italian cinema, before her retirement in 1924, aged 34.
Assunta Spina is a 1930 Italian silent drama film directed by Roberto Roberti and starring Rina De Liguoro and Febo Mari. It is based on the play of the same title by Salvatore Di Giacomo.
Luciano Albertini was an Italian actor, film producer, and film director. After initially appearing in Italian films, he moved to Germany following the First World War. In 1921 he founded a production company Albertini-Film in partnership with Ernst Hugo Correll. During the Weimar era he appeared in a number of silent thriller and adventure films. He starred in films with his wife Linda Albertini.
Lucrezia Borgia is a 1912 Italian silent historical film directed by Gerolamo Lo Savio and starring Francesca Bertini in the title role of Lucrezia Borgia.
The Lady of the Camellias is a 1915 Italian historical drama film directed by Gustavo Serena and starring Francesca Bertini. It is an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas, fils' novel The Lady of the Camellias.
Mariute is a 1918 Italian silent drama film directed by Edoardo Bencivenga and starring Francesca Bertini.
Roberto Roberti was an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director. He made over sixty films, mostly during the silent era. He was born Vincenzo Leone, but adopted Roberti as his screen name. He was married to the actress Bice Valerian. Their son Sergio Leone became a celebrated director.
Countess Sarah is a 1919 Italian silent film directed by Roberto Roberti and starring Francesca Bertini.
The Sphinx is a 1920 Italian silent film directed by Roberto Roberti and starring Francesca Bertini.
Princess Giorgio is a 1920 Italian silent film directed by Roberto Roberti and starring Francesca Bertini and Livio Pavanelli.
Men and Noblemen is a 1959 Italian comedy film directed by Giorgio Bianchi and starring Vittorio De Sica.
The Fear of Love is a 1920 Italian silent film directed by Roberto Roberti and starring Gustavo Serena.
Assunta Spina is a 1909 tragic play by the Italian writer Salvatore Di Giacomo, based on his earlier short story of the same name. It premiered at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples with Adelina Magnetti in the title role and a cast that also included Gennaro Pantalena and Francesca Bertini, who would subsequently play Assunta in the 1915 film. A 1927 revival at the Teatro Manzoni in Milan starred Vera Vergani.
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