Fiction / USA / 1916 / 115’ / Black & White
Intertitles: English / Subtitles Turkish
A creative collaboration between Lois Weber and Anna Pavlova, the famous ballerina dancer and choreograph, The Dumb Girl of Portici tells the story of Fenella, a fisherman’s daughter in the 17th-century Napoli under Spanish occupation. After Fenella is seduced and abandoned by a Spanish noble, her brother entices an uprising agains the Spanish lords. Adapted from a popular opera, the film was censored in some countries with fears of similar uprisings against the rulers. This powerful film, which is a collaboration of two exceptionally talented women of the time, namely Lois Weber and Anna Pavlova, was a successful production with a big budget.
Restored in 2015 from two different copies as closest to the original script as possible, The Dumb Girl of Portici rekindled the interest in the long forgotten work of Lois Weber, whose film Shoes was included in the programme of Istanbul Silent Cinema Days last year. The film has been widely screened in festivals and cinemas worldwide.
Director: Lois Weber
Cast: Anna Pavlova, Rupert Julian, Wadsworth Harris
Live music by John Sweeney (Piano)
Presentation by Jay Weissberg (Pordenone Silent Cinema Days)