Author Archives: silentsplease

The fallibility of film history: Valeria Creti unmasked as Filibus

Posted on 31 May 2019 by silentsplease

I wrote about the delightful 1915 action caper Filibus a few years ago: a wonderful gender-bending tale of intrigue and adventure, one of my favourite silents. In particular, I praised the performance of Cristina Ruspoli as the title character Filibus, … Continue reading →

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Il cinema ritrovato 2018 in review

Posted on 20 August 2018 by silentsplease

Six weeks after the fact, you say? From the Department of Better Late than Never comes my recap of Il cinema ritrovato 2018: a wonderful festival of archival film of all eras and countries. Spoiler alert: I had a blast!

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Bologna-bound: Il cinema ritrovato 2018

Posted on 12 June 2018 by silentsplease

In less than two weeks, the magnificent film festival Il cinema ritrovato (‘Cinema rediscovered’) kicks off in Bologna, Italy. And yes, I’m going to be there! This will be my second time attending Il cinema ritrovato. I had a blast at the festival … Continue reading →

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Buster on the big screen: a visit to the delightful Time Cinema

Posted on 2 June 2018 by silentsplease

‘Yesterday again today’ is the slogan for the Time Cinema, one of Wellington’s true hidden gems. Located in the suburb of Lyall Bay on Wellington’s south coast, what looks like a typical suburban house turns out to include a 39-seater … Continue reading →

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The perilous camera-eye: El sexto sentido | The Sixth Sense (ES 1929)

Posted on 22 May 2018 by silentsplease

The camera never lies. This cliché is now so discredited that even its antithesis is something of a truism: images are almost infinitely manipulable, via both technology, context, and human interpretation. Ultimately, El sexto sentido puts stock in both the idea of … Continue reading →

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Coda to Valentine’s Day: silent film postcards

Posted on 21 February 2018 by silentsplease

Flowers and chocolates and clichés, I don’t care, but I really like the idea of reclaiming Valentine’s Day as a time to express your feelings for the important people in your life. I have so many amazing friends, they mean … Continue reading →

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Power couples of Italian silent film

Posted on 14 February 2018 by silentsplease

It may not be a surprise that the Italian silent film industry was chock-full of couples. Today, for the Feast of Saint Valentine, let’s take a look at these duos with lives spent in film as well as love—sometimes both … Continue reading →

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Pride and passion: Pina Menichelli in Il padrone delle ferriere (1919)

Posted on 22 December 2017 by silentsplease

Aristocracy, hubris, and hauteur: these are the main ingredients in Itala-Film’s Il padrone delle ferriere | The Master of the Ironworks (1919), starring the majestic Pina Menichelli. I’d intended to cover another 1917 film in this Diva December entry, but when the Museo … Continue reading →

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The dream and the myth: Il fauno | The Faun (IT 1917)

Posted on 14 December 2017 by silentsplease

Do not flee from me, for I am love. In his character’s introduction, Febo Mari sets the tone for this phantasmic film in which desire and mythology intertwine. In a reverse Pygmalion scenario, an artist’s model, her sculptor-love unfaithful to … Continue reading →

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Diva December begins with a rainbow

Posted on 3 December 2017 by silentsplease

It’s that time of year again! In Diva December, now in its fourth edition, I look at examples of the ‘diva film’, or the genre of decadent female-led melodramas that were a mainstay of Italian cinema of the 1910s. I’ve outlined … Continue reading →

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