The Dumb Girl of Portici
(Universal Film Manufacturing Company, US, 1916)
Dir.: Lois Weber, Philips Smalley; scen.: Lois Weber, based on: Germain Delavigne and Eugène Scribe’s opera “Mute Girl of Portici”; cast: Anna Pavlova (Fenella), Rupert Julian (Masaniello), Wadsworth Harris (Duke d’Arcos), Douglas Gerrard (Alphonso); DCP 4K, 112’(transferred 18 to 24 fps), tinted; intertitle/subtitle language: EN/PL; source: Milestone Film & Video.
“The Dumb Girl of Portici” is based on an opera by Germain Delavigne and Eugène Scribe – interestingly, one of Pola Negri’s first major successes was a performance in this very opera in the Polish Theater in Warsaw. The film united two other iconic artists of the early 20th century: Lois Weber, the most eminent female filmmaker of the day, and Anna Pavlova, world-famous ballerina and choreographer.
The motion picture was one of the largest and most expensive Universal productions to date. “The Dumb Girl of Portici”’s main assets are its engrossing and moving plot, refined visuals, and, above all, remarkable dance scenes. These include choreographic feats by Pavlova herself, bound to charm today's audiences too.
The plot unfolds in the 17th century, when Naples is under Spanish occupation. Anna Pavlova plays Fenella, the mute sister of a fisherman, who was seduced and then abandoned by a Spanish nobleman. This serves as a pretext to spark a Neapolitan revolt against the Spanish overlords. At the helm of the unrest is Fenella’s brother Masaniello, eager to defend the girl’s honor.
Paulina Haratyk
Until recently, the only known version of the film was a 1920s copy preserved in the British Film Institute. With a second copy discovered in New York’s Public Library, it has been possible to fill in the missing fragments and restore the film to an almost original version. The original intertitles have been reestablished, adding fluency to the narrative, and—most importantly—the film no longer misses Pavlova’s final dance scene: a two-and-a-half-minute-long sequence which finishes off the film.
Sat, Apr 21 | 5pm | Kino Iluzjon
music: Bye Bye Butterfly