Francesca Bertini
Encyclopedia
Francesca Bertini was an Italian
silent film
actress. She was one of the most successful silent film stars in the first quarter of the twentieth-century.
, she was daughter of a comic theatre actress. Bertini began performing on stages as a child, particularly in Naples
, where her family was settled. In 1904, at the age of 16, she moved to Rome
, where she improved her acting skills, especially on theatre stages, and attempted to perform in the just-born Italian movie production.
Her first important movie, Histoire d'un pierrot, was under the direction of Baldassarre Negroni in 1913. Gradually she developed her beauty and elegance, plus a strong, intense, and charming personality, which would be the key of her success as a silent movie actress. With Assunta Spina in 1915 she took care of the scripts as well as performing the role of the main character. Bertini was popular internationally, her sophistication emulated around the world by women moviegoers. Reputedly, in 1915 she earned $175,000—a record for the time; Mary Pickford wouldn't catch up until the following year. She developed the current acting techniques of movie actresses by making it more sober, banning broad gestures or the mincing ways of the Diva. She is one of the first film actresses to focus on reality
, rather than on a dramatic stereotype, an anticipation of Neorealistic canons
. The expression of authentic feelings was the key of her success through many films. She could perform with success the languid decadent heroine as well as the popular common woman. Other important roles were Odette
, Fedora
, Tosca
and the Lady of the Camellias
.
She stepped into sound movies as well, but in the meantime the Italian cinema
had changed greatly (the period of Telefoni bianchi comedies) and entered into a period of crisis with Fascism
and censorship
. It experienced a definite hiatus with World War II
. After the war, a new generation of directors and actors took over the Italian film industry. Nevertheless, Bertini was still very popular and considered one of the best living actresses. After the end of the war, the Fox Film Corporation in Hollywood offered to sign a contract with her, but she refused: she was married to the wealthy Swiss banker Paul Cartier and wanted to move with him to Switzerland
. When her husband died, she moved back to Rome, where she would remain until her death. In 1976 Bernardo Bertolucci
was able to convince her to emerge from her stubborn silence, accepting a role in his movie Novecento. She allowed herself to be interviewed in 1982 documentary.
She died in Rome at the age of 93.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
actress. She was one of the most successful silent film stars in the first quarter of the twentieth-century.
Biography
Born in FlorenceFlorence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, she was daughter of a comic theatre actress. Bertini began performing on stages as a child, particularly in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, where her family was settled. In 1904, at the age of 16, she moved to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where she improved her acting skills, especially on theatre stages, and attempted to perform in the just-born Italian movie production.
Her first important movie, Histoire d'un pierrot, was under the direction of Baldassarre Negroni in 1913. Gradually she developed her beauty and elegance, plus a strong, intense, and charming personality, which would be the key of her success as a silent movie actress. With Assunta Spina in 1915 she took care of the scripts as well as performing the role of the main character. Bertini was popular internationally, her sophistication emulated around the world by women moviegoers. Reputedly, in 1915 she earned $175,000—a record for the time; Mary Pickford wouldn't catch up until the following year. She developed the current acting techniques of movie actresses by making it more sober, banning broad gestures or the mincing ways of the Diva. She is one of the first film actresses to focus on reality
Realism (dramatic arts)
Realism was a general movement in 19th-century theatre that developed a set of dramatic and theatrical conventions with the aim of bringing a greater fidelity of real life to texts and performances....
, rather than on a dramatic stereotype, an anticipation of Neorealistic canons
Neorealism (art)
In art, neorealism was established by the ex-Camden Town Group painters Charles Ginner and Harold Gilman at the beginning of World War I. They set out to explore the spirit of their age through the shapes and colours of daily life...
. The expression of authentic feelings was the key of her success through many films. She could perform with success the languid decadent heroine as well as the popular common woman. Other important roles were Odette
Odette
Odette may refer to:*Odette School of Business, a school at the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario*Odette , people with the given name Odette* The White Swan in the ballet Swan Lake...
, Fedora
Fédora (play)
Fédora is a play by the French author Victorien Sardou. The first production in 1882 starred Sarah Bernhardt in the title role of Princess Fédora Romanoff. She wore a soft felt hat in that role which was soon a popular fashion for women; the hat became known as a Fedora....
, Tosca
La Tosca
La Tosca is a five-act drama by the 19th-century French playwright Victorien Sardou. It was first performed on 24 November 1887 at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris, with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role...
and the Lady of the Camellias
The Lady of the Camellias
The Lady of the Camellias is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils, first published in 1848, and subsequently adapted for the stage. The Lady of the Camellias premiered at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Paris, France on February 2, 1852. The play was an instant success, and Giuseppe Verdi immediately set...
.
She stepped into sound movies as well, but in the meantime the Italian cinema
Cinema of Italy
The history of Italian cinema began just a few months after the Lumière brothers had patented their Cinematographe, when Pope Leo XIII was filmed for a few seconds in the act of blessing the camera.-Early years:...
had changed greatly (the period of Telefoni bianchi comedies) and entered into a period of crisis with Fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
and censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
. It experienced a definite hiatus with World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war, a new generation of directors and actors took over the Italian film industry. Nevertheless, Bertini was still very popular and considered one of the best living actresses. After the end of the war, the Fox Film Corporation in Hollywood offered to sign a contract with her, but she refused: she was married to the wealthy Swiss banker Paul Cartier and wanted to move with him to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. When her husband died, she moved back to Rome, where she would remain until her death. In 1976 Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci is an Italian film director and screenwriter, whose films include The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, 1900, The Last Emperor and The Dreamers...
was able to convince her to emerge from her stubborn silence, accepting a role in his movie Novecento. She allowed herself to be interviewed in 1982 documentary.
She died in Rome at the age of 93.
Selected filmography
- Histoire d'un pierrot (1913)
- L'Amazzone Mascherata (1913-1914)
- Don Pietro Caruso (1914)
- Nelly La Gigolette (1914)
- Assunta SpinaAssunta Spina (1915 film)Assunta Spina is one of the masterpieces of Italian silent film, released in 1915. Outside Italy, it is sometimes known as Sangue Napolitano .-Production:...
(1915) - The Clemenceau AffairThe Clemenceau AffairThe Clemenceau Affair is a 1917 silent Italian adventure film directed by Alfredo De Antoni. The film features the first onscreen performance from Vittorio De Sica.-Cast:* Francesca Bertini - Iza* Gina Cinquini* Antonio Cruichi...
(1917) - L'Orgoglio (1918)
- La Tosca (1918)
- La Piovra (1919)
- La Fin De Monte Carlo (1926)
- Odette (1927)
- La Possession (1929)
- Tu M'Appartiens (1929)
- La Femme D'Une Nuit (1930)
- La Donna D'una Notte (1933)
- Odette (1935)
- Dora o le Spie (1943)
- 1900 (Novecento)1900 (film)1900 is a 1976 Italian epic film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Robert De Niro, Gérard Depardieu, Dominique Sanda, Donald Sutherland, Alida Valli, and Burt Lancaster. Set in Bertolucci's ancestral region of Emilia, the film chronicles the lives of two men during the political turmoils...
(1976) - Behind the Screen: Stories of Cinema - The Last Diva (1982)
- Diva Dolorosa (2000)