Tag Archives: Lyda Borelli

Casa Lyda Borelli in Bologna

Posted on 14 August 2016 by silentsplease

Lyda Borelli was already a celebrated theatrical actress and fashion icon when she burst into film with the seminal Ma l’amor mio non muore! (But my love will never die!; 1913). Her cinematic career was relatively sparse—over six years, she only … Continue reading →

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Diva December! Lyda Borelli in Malombra (1917)

Posted on 3 December 2015 by silentsplease

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to a very important blogging event: Diva December! This is the month that I devote to coverage of the Italian divas and their films. If you are wondering: “who?”, I have previously published the introductory … Continue reading →

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10 lost silent films that I’d love to see

Posted on 16 March 2015 by silentsplease

As an art form, silent film lasted for a mere 40 years, c.1895-1935. It’s well known that the great majority of films from the silent era are now lost, whether due to destruction (either deliberate, as by many studios, or accidental, … Continue reading →

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Death, love, and beauty: Lyda Borelli in Rapsodia Satanica (IT 1917)

Posted on 13 December 2014 by silentsplease

Lyda Borelli is the star of this update of the Faust legend. La diva Lyda plays Contessa Alba d’Oltrevita, who at the beginning of the picture is an elderly woman, looking on jealously at the youthful beauty that surrounds her. … Continue reading →

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Ma l’amor mio non muore! | Love Everlasting (IT 1913)

Posted on 10 December 2014 by silentsplease

Lyda prima diva! What better place to begin Diva December than the film that started it all: Ma l’amor mio non muore! | Love Everlasting (IT 1913), starring the inimitable Lyda Borelli. Ma l’amor mio tells the story of Elsa Holbein, the … 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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