''Sun'' (Italian: ''Sole'') is a 1929 Italian silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Alessandro Blasetti Alessandro Blasetti (3 July 1900 – 1 February 1987) was an Italian film director and screenwriter who influenced Italian neorealism with the film ''Quattro passi fra le nuvole''. Blasetti was one of the leading figures in Italian cinema during ...

and starring

Marcello Spada Marcello Spada (1905–1995) was an Italian film actor.Ben-Ghiat p.31 He appeared in a dozen films, often in the leading role, between 1928 and 1937. After retiring from cinema he later became a doctor. Selected filmography * ''Kif Tebbi'' (1928) ...

Vasco Creti Vasco Creti (7 December 1874 – 16 October 1945) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1915 and 1944. He was married to actress Valeria Creti. Selected filmography * '' Maschiaccio'' (1917) * '' Il siluram ...

and

Dria Paola Dria Paola (1909–1993) was an Italian stage and film actress. She played the female lead in Alessandro Blasetti's late silent ''Sun'' (1929). In 1930 she starred in the first Italian sound film ''The Song of Love''.Forgacs & Gundle p.159 Sel ...

. The film was set around the planned draining of the

Pontine Marshes 250px, Lake Fogliano, a coastal lagoon in the Pontine Plain The Pontine Marshes (, also ; it, Agro Pontino , formerly also ''Paludi Pontine''; la, Pomptinus Ager by Titus Livius, ''Pomptina Palus'' (singular) and ''Pomptinae Paludes'' (plu ...

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

Fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

government. It was shot partly on location, which added a sense of

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

. Mussolini was impressed by the result and described it as "the dawn of the Fascist film". The film was destroyed during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and survives only in still photographs.Bondanella p.14

Cast

as Ing. Rinaldi *

as Marco *

as Giovanna *

Vittorio Vaser Vittorio Vaser (1904–1963) was an Italian stage and film actor. He appeared in Alessandro Blasetti's 1929 film ''Sun'' about the reclamation of the Pontine Marshes.Verdone p.63 He was the son of the actor Ernesto Vaser. Selected filmography ...

as Silvestro *

Lia Bosco Lia is a feminine given name. In the Spanish-speaking world, it is accented Lía. In America, the name may be a variant of Leah or Lea. Lia may be a diminutive of various names including Julia, Cecilia, Amelia, Talia, Cornelia, Ophelia, Rosali ...

as Barbara * Anna Vinci * Rolando Costantino * Rinaldo Rinaldi * Arcangelo Aversa * Arnaldo Baldaccini * Sante Bonaldo * Vittorio Gonzi * Igino Nunzio

References

Bibliography

* Bondanella, Peter E. ''Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to the Present''. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2001. * Reich, Jacqueline & Garofalo, Piero. ''Re-Viewing Fascism: Italian Cinema, 1922 to 1943''. Indiana University Press, 2002.

External links

* 1929 films 1929 drama films Italian silent feature films Italian drama films 1920s Italian-language films Films directed by Alessandro Blasetti Films set in Italy Films shot in Italy Lost Italian films Italian black-and-white films 1929 lost films Lost drama films Silent drama films 1920s Italian films {{1920s-drama-film-stub