''The Betrothed'' (Italian:''I promessi sposi'') is a 1923 Italian silent

historical drama film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...

directed by

Mario Bonnard Mario Bonnard (24 December 1889 – 22 March 1965) was an Italian actor and film director. Bonnard was born and died in Rome. He began his cinematic career as an actor becoming a popular romantic lead in numerous silent films made before World ...

and starring

Domenico Serra Domenico Serra (1899–1965) was an Italian stage and film actor. He made more than sixty films, many of them during the silent era including Mario Bonnard's historical film '' The Betrothed'' (1923).Goble p.305 In the sound era, he largely pl ...

Nini Dinelli Nini may refer to: Geography * Nini River, Ghana * Nini Suhien National Park, Ghana Film and television * '' Ninì Tirabusciò: la donna che inventò la mossa'', an Italian comedy film * ''Nini's Treehouse'', a children's television series * Nini ...

and Emilia Vidali. It is an adaptation of the 1827 novel '' The Betrothed'' by

Alessandro Manzoni Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Antonio Manzoni (, , ; 7 March 1785 – 22 May 1873) was an Italian poet, novelist and philosopher. He is famous for the novel '' The Betrothed'' (orig. it, I promessi sposi) (1827), generally ranked among the maste ...

.Buonanno p.46

Plot

Lake Como Lake Como ( it, Lago di Como , ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh de Còmm , ''Cómm'' or ''Cùmm'' ), also known as Lario (; after the la, Larius Lacus), is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the thir ...

: Renzo and Lucia are two farmers who are in love. But the cruel and despotic

Don Rodrigo ''Don Rodrigo'' is an opera in three acts by Alberto Ginastera, the composer's first opera, to an original Spanish libretto by Alejandro Casona. Ginastera composed the opera on commission from the Municipality of the City of Buenos Aires, Argentin ...

impairs their marriage because he is secretly in love with Lucia. The two have to flee from their Lombard village, and shelter by different routes: Renzo goes to Milan and Lucia in a convent in Monza. Even the plague of 1600 contributes to the prolongation of the separation of the two lovers, who eventually find themselves in a hospital in Milan.

Cast

* Emilia Vidali as Lucia *

as Renzo * Ninì Dinelli as la monaca di Monza *

Mario Parpagnoli is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...

as Don Rodrigo * Rodolfo Badaloni as l'Innominato * Umberto Scalpellini as Don Abbondio *

Ida Carloni Talli Ida Carloni Talli (31 January 1860 – 23 April 1940) was an Italian film actress of the silent era. She appeared in 92 films between 1912 and 1924. She was born Rome and died in Milan. She made her debut as a stage actress in 1887.Ida Carlo ...

as Agnese *

Raimondo Van Riel Raimondo Van Riel (22 January 1881, in Rome – 9 May 1962, in Mentana) was an Italian actor. Raimondo Van Riel was born on January 22, 1881, in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is known for his work on Quo Vadis? (1924), The Magnificent Rogue (1935) and ...

as il Griso *

Olga Capri Olga Capri (18 May 1883 – 18 December 1961) was a stage and film actress from Italy. She appeared in more than 40 films during her career, generally in supporting roles. She appeared in several of Alessandro Blasetti's early sound films, such a ...

as Perpetua *

Enzo Biliotti Enzo Biliotti (28 June 1887 – 19 November 1976) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 80 films between 1916 and 1958. He was born in Livorno, Italy and died in Bologna, Italy. Selected filmography * '' The Betrothed'' (1923) * ''Villafra ...

as frà Cristoforo *

Bonaventura Ibáñez Bonaventura Ibáñez (18 February 1876 – 1 May 1932) was a Spanish film actor of the silent and early sound eras.Goble p.378 Selected filmography * '' Wanda Warenine'' (1917) * ''Romola'' (1924) * '' The Faces of Love'' (1924) * ''The Last Lor ...

References

Bibliography

* Buonanno, Milly. ''Italian TV Drama and Beyond: Stories from the Soil, Stories from the Sea''. Intellect Books, 2012.

External links

* 1920s historical drama films Italian historical drama films Italian silent feature films 1920s Italian-language films Films based on works by Alessandro Manzoni Films directed by Mario Bonnard Films set in Italy Films set in the 1620s Films set in the 1630s Films based on Italian novels 1923 films Italian black-and-white films 1923 drama films Silent drama films 1920s Italian films {{historic-film-stub