Tag Archives: Elena Makowska

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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Pictorial emotion: the moods of Makowska

Posted on 2 March 2016 by silentsplease

I always enjoy sets of photographs where an actor is pictured expressing a variety of emotions: ‘passion’, ‘hatred’, ‘sorrow’, ‘love’, ‘grief’, ‘surprise’, etc. A famous example of this phenomenon is this spread of Florence Lawrence (‘The Biograph Girl’), printed in A Pictorial … Continue reading →

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Diva December: Elena Makowska in Caino (IT 1918)

Posted on 15 December 2015 by silentsplease

The holy trinity of Lyda Borelli, Francesca Bertini, and Pina Menichelli are generally considered the crème de la crème of diva film actresses. Yet, of course, there were many others working in this loosely-defined genre: prominent names include Hesperia, Leda … Continue reading →

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Fatal passions: an overview of the Italian divas

Posted on 7 December 2014 by silentsplease

Decadence, outrageous emotion, an extravaganze of costume and gesture … the inimitable screen presence of the Italian divas is one of my favourite facets of the silent era. In the 1910s, actresses like Lyda Borelli, Francesca Bertini, and Pina Menichelli swept … Continue reading →

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