''The Dumb Girl of Portici'' is a 1916 American silent

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

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

Phillips Smalley Wendell Phillips Smalley (August 7, 1865 – May 2, 1939) was an American silent film director and actor. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was the grandson of Wendell Phillips; he was the son of George Washburn Smalley, a war correspon ...

and

Lois Weber Florence Lois Weber (June 13, 1879 – November 13, 1939) was an American silent film actress, screenwriter, producer and director. She is identified in some historical references as among "the most important and prolific film directors in the e ...

and starring

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova ( , rus, Анна Павловна Павлова ), born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova ( rus, Анна Матвеевна Павлова; – 23 January 1931), was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20th ...

Rupert Julian Rupert Julian (born Thomas Percival Hayes; 25 January 1879 – 27 December 1943) was a New Zealand cinema actor, director, writer and producer. During his career, Julian directed 60 films and acted in over 90 films. He is best remembered for di ...

and

Wadsworth Harris Wadsworth Harris (October 9, 1864 – November 1, 1942) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1911 and 1936. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died in Los Angeles, California from pneumon ...

. It was adapted by Weber from the

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

Germain Delavigne Louis Marie Germain Delavigne (1 February 1790 – 3 November 1868) was a French playwright and librettist. Delavigne was born in Giverny to Louis-Augustin-Anselme Delavigne, a surveyor of the French royal forests, and his wife. He was the broth ...

and

Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of man ...

for Daniel Auber's 1828 opera ''

La muette de Portici ''La muette de Portici'' (''The Mute Girl of Portici'', or ''The Dumb Girl of Portici''), also called ''Masaniello'' () in some versions, is an opera in five acts by Daniel Auber, with a libretto by Germain Delavigne, revised by Eugène Scribe. ...

'' (''The Mute of Portici''). The film marked Pavlova's only feature film performance.

Overview

The film was one of the most expensive film made at a cost at approximately $300,000. The film was the first major film directed by a woman director in the early 1910s.

Plot

Fenella (

) is a poor Italian girl who falls in love with Duke d'Arcos (

), a Spanish nobleman.

Cast

as Fenella *

Masaniello Masaniello (, ; an abbreviation of Tommaso Aniello; 29 June 1620 – 16 July 1647) was an Italian fisherman who became leader of the 1647 revolt against the rule of Habsburg Spain in the Kingdom of Naples. Name and place of birth Until recent ...

as Duke d'Arcos *

Douglas Gerrard Douglas Gerrard (12 August 1891 – 5 June 1950) was an Irish-American actor and film director of the silent and early sound era. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1913 and 1949. He also directed 23 films between 1916 and 1920. H ...

as Alphonso * Jack Holt as Conde *

Betty Schade Betty Schade (born Frida Feddersen; March 27, 1895 – March 27, 1982) was a German-born American actress of the silent era. She appeared in about 135 films between 1913 and 1921. Schade was born in Geestemünde (Bremerhaven), Germany and ma ...

as Isabella *

Edna Maison Edna Maison (born Carmen Edna Maisonave; August 17, 1892 – January 11, 1946) was an American silent film actress. Maison was born Carmen Edna Maisonave in San Francisco. Her father was a Frenchman and her mother was American. She was ed ...

as Elvira *

Jack Hoxie John Hartford Hoxie (January 11, 1885 – March 28, 1965) was an American rodeo performer and motion-picture actor whose career was most prominent in the silent film era of the 1910s through the 1930s. Hoxie is best recalled for his roles in ...

as Perrone *

William Wolbert William Wolbert (1883–1918) was an American actor and film director of the silent era.Wlaschin p.26 He directed for Vitagraph and Universal Pictures before his career was cut short by his death. Selected filmography Actor * ''The Burned Hand ...

as Pietro *

Laura Oakley Laura Oakley (July 10, 1879 January 30, 1957) was an American silent film actress. Biography Born in Oakland, California, on July 10, 1879, Oakley was signed in 1912 by the Keystone Film Company and starred in about 50 films before her retirem ...

as Rilla *

Nigel De Brulier Nigel De Brulier (born Francis George Packer; 8 August 1877 – 30 January 1948) was an English stage and film actor who began his career in the United Kingdom before relocating to the United States. Biography De Brulier was born in Frenchay, a ...

as Father Francisco *

Lina Basquette Lina Basquette (born Lena Copeland Baskette; April 19, 1907 – September 30, 1994) was an American actress. She is noted for her 75-year career in entertainment, which began during the silent film era. Talented as a dancer, she was paid as a gi ...

as Child

Release

The film was released on DVD/Blu-ray in 2018 with a new score by John Sweeney.

References

Bibliography

* Slide, Anthony. ''Early Women Directors''. A. S. Barnes, 1977.

External links

*
The Dumb Girl of Portici at silentera.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dumb Girl Of Portici 1916 films American silent feature films Films directed by Phillips Smalley Films directed by Lois Weber American black-and-white films Universal Pictures films 1910s historical drama films American historical drama films Films set in the 1640s Films set in Naples Films based on operas Films based on works by Eugène Scribe 1916 drama films 1910s English-language films 1910s American films Silent American drama films