Week Two: The Italian Lakes and Milan

Week Two: The Italian Lakes and Milan

The second week of our tour takes in the Italian Lakes and Milan. The first film is a fragment from André Deed's L'Uomo Meccanico (1921), which was made in Milan. It is an action-packed serial, which stars the first robots in cinema history! Our second film is The Lake Maggiore Picturesque (1913), a beautiful, coloured travel film. A short comedy, Robinet l'aviatore (1911), completes our programme of short films.

Tonight's feature is Malombra (1917), a haunting gothic psychological thriller filmed on an island in the middle of Lake Como. Marina di Malombra (Lyda Borelli) is obliged to live in her uncle's castle until the day of her marriage. In her bedroom overlooking the lake, Marina discovers letters from Cecilia, her uncle's first wife, who was imprisoned in the room until she died. Marina breaks Cecilia's mirror, fulfilling Cecilia's prophecy that she will live on through whoever reads the diary. Three months later, with her wedding imminent and increasingly haunted by Cecilia, Marina embarks on a tragic course of action.

This adaptation of Antonio Fogazzaro's novel was remade by Alessandro Blasetti in 1942. Malombra was restored in 1996 and features an outstanding performance from Lyda Borelli, one of the greatest divas of the 1910s.

The film will be accompanied by our pianist George Hetherington and will be shown from 7:30pm until 9:30pm on the 18th October 2011 at Durham Clayport Library, Millenium Place, Durham.