Assunta Spina

Adapted from the play by Salvatore di Giacomo, Assunta Spina is ‘the’ Francesca Bertini film: her greatest success, her most deeply felt and impassioned performance, the touchstone of her many talents. In this film, the star not only embodies the role of the beautiful girl of the people, torn between the love of two men, she also becomes a filmmaker. It was a role that Bertini proudly claimed for herself over the years and that film history has finally acknowledged her. The first Dvd edition of this silent masterpiece presents the restored version of the film, with its beautifully tinted colors and authentic, breathtaking Neapolitan locations. Assunta Spina is considered to be the progenitor of Italian cinematic realism, and its startling freshness still conquers us. The film is accompanied by a soundtrack by Guido Sodo and Francois Laurent, inspired by the traditional music and songs of Naples.

Extra: Un amore selvaggio (Italia, 1912, with Raffaele Viviani), Il fascino della violenza (Italia, 1912, with Francesca Bertini), Gustavo Serena disse… Una testimonianza di Vittorio Martinelli, film gallery.
Booklet (curated by Giovanni Lasi): notes by Giovanni Lasi, Michele Canosa, Gerardo Guccini, Mariann Lewinsky