''Thaïs'' is a 1917

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

directed by

Anton Giulio Bragaglia __NOTOC__ Anton Giulio Bragaglia (11 February 1890 – 15 July 1960) was a pioneer in Italian Futurist Futurists (also known as futurologists, prospectivists, foresight practitioners and horizon scanners) are people whose specialty ...

. The movie is the sole surviving Italian Futurist film, and currently kept at the

Cinémathèque Française The Cinémathèque Française (), founded in 1936, is a French non-profit film organization that holds one of the largest archives of film documents and film-related objects in the world. Based in Paris's 12th arrondissement, the archive offers ...

. It is not based on the novel of the same name by

Anatole France (; born , ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters. He was a member of the Académie França ...

Plot

The plot is fairly conventional and refers to the

love stories Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the lov ...

of turbid "diva-film" typical of the period. The beautiful Slavic

countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Vera Preobrajenska (played by Thaïs Galitzy) is a

seductress Seduction has multiple meanings. Platonically, it can mean "to persuade to disobedience or disloyalty", or "to lead astray, usually by persuasion or false promises". Strategies of seduction include conversation and Sexual script theory, sexual ...

of married men, dragging them to the brink of ruin. Vera resolves to seduce Count San Remo, the lover of her best friend, the Countess Bianca Stagno-Bellincioni (played by

Ileana Leonidoff Ileana Leonidoff (3 March 1893 – 1 January 1968) is a pseudonym for Elena Sergeevna Pisarevskaya (russian: Елена Сергеевна Писаревская), a Russian-born emigrée who first made a career in Italy in silent films and then a ...

). Bianca, in the midst of depression, falls off her horse and dies. Vera feels guilty and commits suicide.

Characteristics

The film sets are characteristic of the Futurist movement. They were designed by Enrico Prampolini who used geometric shapes based on a strong black/white contrast: spiral, diamond, chess, symbolic figures (cats, masks spewing smoke). Painted scenes often interact with the characters, creating a world of illusions where it is difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. As the film progresses, it becomes more and more abstract to reflect Vera's increasing confusion. The oppressive and anti naturalistic visions can be seen as a preamble to the German expressionist cinema, which was notably inspired by the style of Prampolini.

Gallery

File:Thais Bragaglia 1917 01.jpg, A scene from ''Thaïs'' File:Thais Bragaglia 1917 02.jpg, A scene from ''Thaïs'' File:Thais Bragaglia 1917 03.jpg, A lattice of pointed poles File:Thais Bragaglia 1917 05.jpg, A scene with real smoke

References

Bibliography

* Sandro Bernardi, ''L'avventura del cinematografo'', Marsilio Editori, Venezia 2007. *G. Aristarco, ''Teoria futurista e film d'avanguardia'', ne «La Biennale di Venezia» n. 36/37 Luglio- Dicembre, Venezia, 1959 *A. Bernardini, ''Cinema muto italiano'', 3 vol., Laterza, Bari-Roma, 1980/81 *R. Campari, ''Il fantasma del bello: iconologia del cinema italiano'', Marsilio, Venezia, 1994 *G. Lista, ''Cinema e fotografia futurista'', Skira, Milano, 2001 *M. Macola, ''Prima mostra di scenotecnica futurista'', in «Il Secolo XIX», Genova, 11 febbraio 1933 *F. T. Marinetti, ''Anton Giulio Bragaglia'', in «Futurismo», n. 9, 6 novembre 1931 *C. Tisdall e A. Bozzolla, ''Futurismo'', Skira, Milano, 2003 *M. Verdone e AAVV, ''La casa d’arte Bragaglia'', Bulzoni, Roma, 1992 *M. Verdone, ''Cinema e letteratura del futurismo'', Manfrini, Calliano, Trento, 1990

External links