''Thaïs'' is a 1917
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
silent film
A silent film is a film without synchronized 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) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
directed by
Anton Giulio Bragaglia. The movie is the sole surviving
Italian Futurist film, and currently kept at the
Cinémathèque Française
A cinematheque is an archive of films and film-related objects with an exhibition venue. Similarly to a book library (bibliothèque in French), a cinematheque is responsible for preserving and making available to the public film heritage. Typically ...
. It is not based on the
novel
A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
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.[love stories
''Love Stories'' () is a 1997 Polish film about four men with unresolved romances. Jerzy Stuhr plays all four characters and wrote and directed the film. The film is dedicated to Krzysztof Kieślowski, who gave Stuhr important roles in his films. ...]
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 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). 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
German expressionist cinema () was a part of several related creative movements in Germany in the early 20th century that reached a peak in Berlin during the 1920s. These developments were part of a larger Expressionist movement in Northweste ...
, 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
See also
*''
Drama in the Futurists' Cabaret No. 13'' (sole surviving
Russian Futurist film, albeit
partially lost)
*
Futurism
Futurism ( ) was an Art movement, artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such as the ...
*
Italian Futurism (cinema)
*''
Thais'' (1917 American film)
*''
Thaïs
Thaïs (; ; ) was a Greek who accompanied Alexander the Great on his military campaigns. Likely from Athens, she is most famous for having instigated the burning of Persepolis, the capital city of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, after it was con ...
'' (opera)
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
*
''Thaïs''at celluloidbreakfast.com
Italian Futurism
1917 films
Films directed by Anton Giulio Bragaglia
Italian black-and-white films
Rediscovered Italian films
1910s rediscovered films
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