Francesca Braggiotti
Encyclopedia
Francesca Braggiotti was an Italian dancer, actress and dubber.
, her father was an Italian tenor, born in Smyrna
; her mother was an American mezzo-soprano from Boston
. Both her parents were converted to Buddhism; she was the second of eight brothers and sisters, all destined for success in the arts.
She began her career as a dancer, forming the Braggiotti Sisters, a duo with her sister Berthe. The duo was an overwhelming success in Boston after World War I. Writer Alden Hatch wrote: "Two polyglot strikingly attractive and talented sisters, call Berthe and Francesca Braggiotti, were the biggest event of the Bostonian Society since Jack Gardner smoked a cigarette in public and built Fenway Court ".
Francesca and her sister Berthe opened a dance studio above the barracks of the Brookline
Fire Department. For a public performance sponsored by the exclusive Vincent Club, the Mayor was asked about the limits of public decency, as he had authorized their costumes for some artistic purposes, although too small to be admitted to a public beach.
Amy Lowell
was so enchanted that composed an ode poetry in honor of Francesca. Isabella Stewart Gardner
asked them a private performance at Fenway Court. The dance school of Braggiotti Sisters, as well as being the most expensive and requested, first introduced dance Expressionist movement in Boston and a new vision of health and beauty.
After the untimely death of his elder sister (1928) Francesca went to cinema and dubbing in Italy. She starred in Rasputin and the Empress
(1932), Little Women
(1932), Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal
(1937), Stanotte alle undici (1937).
She was the first Italian voice of Greta Garbo and talk the first bar dubbed in Italian film history: "Give me a cigarette!" in the movie Mata Hari by George Fitzmaurice. She dubbed the Swedish actress also in: Inspiration
(Yvonne), Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise)
, Grand Hotel
(Grusinskaya), As You Desire Me
(Zadar / Countess Maria Varelli).
Francesca married John Davis Lodge
, on 1929, and worked with him on the set of Stanotte alle undici. After her husband’s entry into politics, she withdrew from artistic life; he was a Republican politician, governor of Connecticut from 1951 to 1955 and diplomatic ambassador to Spain, Argentina and Switzerland.
Biography
Francesca Braggiotti was 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....
, her father was an Italian tenor, born in Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
; her mother was an American mezzo-soprano from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Both her parents were converted to Buddhism; she was the second of eight brothers and sisters, all destined for success in the arts.
She began her career as a dancer, forming the Braggiotti Sisters, a duo with her sister Berthe. The duo was an overwhelming success in Boston after World War I. Writer Alden Hatch wrote: "Two polyglot strikingly attractive and talented sisters, call Berthe and Francesca Braggiotti, were the biggest event of the Bostonian Society since Jack Gardner smoked a cigarette in public and built Fenway Court ".
Francesca and her sister Berthe opened a dance studio above the barracks of the Brookline
Brookline
Brookline is the name of several places in the United States of America:* Brookline, Massachusetts* Brookline, Missouri* Brookline, New Hampshire* Brookline , a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania* Brookline, Vermont...
Fire Department. For a public performance sponsored by the exclusive Vincent Club, the Mayor was asked about the limits of public decency, as he had authorized their costumes for some artistic purposes, although too small to be admitted to a public beach.
Amy Lowell
Amy Lowell
Amy Lawrence Lowell was an American poet of the imagist school from Brookline, Massachusetts who posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926.- Personal life:...
was so enchanted that composed an ode poetry in honor of Francesca. Isabella Stewart Gardner
Isabella Stewart Gardner
Isabella Stewart Gardner – founder of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston – was an American art collector, philanthropist, and one of the foremost female patrons of the arts....
asked them a private performance at Fenway Court. The dance school of Braggiotti Sisters, as well as being the most expensive and requested, first introduced dance Expressionist movement in Boston and a new vision of health and beauty.
After the untimely death of his elder sister (1928) Francesca went to cinema and dubbing in Italy. She starred in Rasputin and the Empress
Rasputin and the Empress
Rasputin and the Empress is a 1932 film about Imperial Russia starring the Barrymore siblings—John , Ethel , and Lionel Barrymore . It is the only film in which all three appeared together...
(1932), Little Women
Little Women (1933 film)
Little Women is a 1933 American drama film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay by Sarah Y. Mason and Victor Heerman is based on the classic novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott...
(1932), Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal
Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal
Scipione l'africano — in English Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal — is an Italian historical film that focuses on Publius Cornelius Scipio from the time of his election as dictator until his defeat of Hannibal at the Battle of Zama in 202 BC. It was directed by Carmine Gallone and stars...
(1937), Stanotte alle undici (1937).
She was the first Italian voice of Greta Garbo and talk the first bar dubbed in Italian film history: "Give me a cigarette!" in the movie Mata Hari by George Fitzmaurice. She dubbed the Swedish actress also in: Inspiration
Inspiration (1931 film)
Inspiration is a 1931 English language film adapted from the Alphonse Daudet short novel Sappho . It was adapted by Gene Markey, directed by Clarence Brown and produced by Irving Thalberg. The cinematography was by William H...
(Yvonne), Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise)
Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise)
Susan Lenox is a 1931 film starring Greta Garbo and Clark Gable in their only movie together. The movie was made by MGM and was directed and produced by Robert Z. Leonard from a screenplay by Leon Gordon, Zelda Sears and Edith Fitzgerald adapted by Wanda Tuchock from the novel by David Graham...
, Grand Hotel
Grand Hotel (film)
Grand Hotel is a 1932 American drama film directed by Edmund Goulding. The screenplay by William A. Drake and Béla Balázs is based on the 1930 play of the same title by Drake, who had adapted it from the 1929 novel Menschen im Hotel by Vicki Baum...
(Grusinskaya), As You Desire Me
As You Desire Me (film)
As You Desire Me is a 1932 film adaptation of the play by Luigi Pirandello made by MGM. It was produced and directed by George Fitzmaurice with Irving Thalberg as co-producer. The adaptation was by Gene Markey, the cinematography byWilliam H...
(Zadar / Countess Maria Varelli).
Francesca married John Davis Lodge
John Davis Lodge
John Davis Lodge , was an American politician, and 79th Governor of Connecticut from 1951 to 1955. He was also an actor and U.S. Ambassador to Spain, Argentina and Switzerland.-Early life:Lodge was born in Washington, D.C....
, on 1929, and worked with him on the set of Stanotte alle undici. After her husband’s entry into politics, she withdrew from artistic life; he was a Republican politician, governor of Connecticut from 1951 to 1955 and diplomatic ambassador to Spain, Argentina and Switzerland.
Filmography
- Rasputin and the EmpressRasputin and the EmpressRasputin and the Empress is a 1932 film about Imperial Russia starring the Barrymore siblings—John , Ethel , and Lionel Barrymore . It is the only film in which all three appeared together...
, (1932) - Little WomenLittle Women (1933 film)Little Women is a 1933 American drama film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay by Sarah Y. Mason and Victor Heerman is based on the classic novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott...
, directed by George CukorGeorge CukorGeorge Dewey Cukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , David Copperfield , Romeo and Juliet and...
(1933) - Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of HannibalScipio Africanus: The Defeat of HannibalScipione l'africano — in English Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal — is an Italian historical film that focuses on Publius Cornelius Scipio from the time of his election as dictator until his defeat of Hannibal at the Battle of Zama in 202 BC. It was directed by Carmine Gallone and stars...
, directed by Carmine Gallone (1937) - Stasera alle undici , directed by Oreste BiancoliOreste BiancoliOreste Biancoli was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He wrote for 92 films between 1930 and 1986...
(1937)