Peter Delpeut's Diva Dolorosa strings together excerpts from 14 silent Italian films produced between 1914 and 1920 to illustrate how the cinema expressed the fin de siècle movement known as “black romanticism,” which offered an angst-ridden combination of romance and tragedy. Compiling representative scenes featuring some of the greatest stars of the period (including Francesca Bertini, Lyda Borelli, and Pina Menichelli), the film focuses on the character of the dolorous diva, a strong, sexually manipulative woman whose excesses lead her into a spiral of despair and self-destruction. Diva Dolorosa is divided into a prologue (which links beauty and sadness) followed by three acts (titled “The Seven Veils of Love,” “Storms of the Soul,” and “Night Without End”) featuring images and scenes that proceed from seductiveness and wild abandon to hysteria and finally despondence and fatalism. But the film offers no narrative per se, instead relying on repetition, artful editing, tinting, and a supportive score by Loek Dikker to create a general mood rather than tell a specific story. With its effusive, operatic style, the end result is evocative and poetic, though perhaps a little overlong at an hour-plus. DVD extras include a photo gallery and a brochure with an essay on the film and a statement from the director. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Diva Dolorosa
(1999) 70 min. DVD: $29.99. Zeitgeist Films (avail. from most distributors). Volume 23, Issue 3
Diva Dolorosa
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