Four films with Francesca Bertini: L'avarizia (1918), L'ira (1918), L'invidia (1919) and La lussuria (1919)

Francesca Bertini (1892-1985) was a majestic diva of Italian silent cinema. She often played the 'femme fatale', with men devouring eyes, glamorous attire, clenched fists, and in opulent settings... One of her major works is I sette peccati capitali/The Seven Deadly Sins (1918-1919), an Italian seven-part series based on the Eugène Sue novel 'Les sept pêchés capitaux' (1847-1852).

For more than half a century, the integral version of I sette peccati capitali was believed to be lost. It was found at the Prague Film Institute (Ceskoslovensky Filmovy Archiv) and carefully restored including the tinting. In 1991, two series parts were shown at Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna. Finally, the complete series was presented in Bologna in 2003. It includes the features L'orgoglio/Pride, La gola/Gluttony, L'ira/Wrath, L'avarizia/Greed (all 1918), L'invidia/Envy, L'accidia/Sloth and La lussuria/Lust (all 1919).

In the past, EFSP already posted on L'orgoglio (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918), L'accidia (Alfredo De Antoni, 1919) and La gola (Camillo De Riso, 1918). Today, we present the four other parts: L'avarizia/Greed (Gustavo Serena, 1918), L'ira/Anger (1918), L'invidia/Envy (1919) and La lussuria/Lust (1919), all starring Francesca Bertini.

L'avarizia (1918)

Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 1 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini in L'avarizia/ Greed (Gustavo Serena, 1918).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 2 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini in L'avarizia/Greed (Gustavo Serena, 1918). The man on this card may be Alfredo Bracci.


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 3 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini in L'avarizia/Greed (Gustavo Serena, 1918).

Greed

L'avarizia/Greed (Gustavo Serena, 1918) was scripted by Giuseppe Paolo Pacchierotti, while the cinematography was by Luigi Filippa. The film was part of the series I sette peccati capitali/The Seven Deadly Sins (1918-1919), produced by Caesar Film and Bertini Film and distributed by U.C.I.

In L'avarizia, Maria (Francesca Bertini) and Luigi (Gustavo Serena) love each other in spite of their poverty, while she resists her many wealthy suitors. But their mutual enemies figure out a lie that will separate them.

Maria will become temporarily rich but she commits a crime and will divert into the slums. There Luigi will meet her again.


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 4 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini in L'avarizia/Greed (Gustavo Serena, 1918).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 5 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini in L'avarizia/Greed (Gustavo Serena, 1918).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 6 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini in L'avarizia/Greed (Gustavo Serena, 1918).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 9 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini in L'avarizia/Greed (Gustavo Serena, 1918).

L'ira (1918)

Spanish postcard. Francesca Bertini and Gustavo Serena in L'ira/Anger (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 4 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini in L'ira/Anger (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 5 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Cia Fornaroli, Francesca Bertini and Gustavo Serena in L'ira/Anger (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918)

Anger

In L'ira/Anger (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918) the two gipsy brothers Zefor (Alberto Albertini) and Arturo (Guido Trento), their mother and the gipsy girl Elena (Francesca Bertini) live together near the border. They live on smuggling and Arturo is protective of Elena.

One day, Count Amedeo Montaperti (Gustavo Serena) has an accident and is taken care of by them. He feels attracted to Elena, but when he is rejected he menaces to denounce them.

The first flame of anger develops: Elena invites him to a rendezvous but instead Arturo shows up and throws him in a ravine. Once her anger is tempered, Elena searches for Amedeo, finds him and takes care of him. When she finds out that his previous sharp remarks were because of a previous wound in love, her anger completely disappears.


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 6 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Cia Fornaroli and Gustavo Serena in L'ira/Anger (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 8 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini and Gustavo Serena in L'ira/Anger (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918)


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 9 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini and Gustavo Serena in L'ira/Anger (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918)


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 10 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini in L'ira/Anger (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918).

L'invidia (1919)

Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 4 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini in L'invidia/Envy (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 5 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini and Livio Pavanelli in L'invidia/Envy (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 6 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini in L'invidia/Envy (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918).

Envy

In L'invidia/Envy (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918), Francesca Bertini plays the ballet dancer Leila di Santa Cruz. She has an adventure with young Count Di Monfiore (Livio Pavanelli) and a child is born. Because of her conduct, the count abandons her and takes the child with him.

Years after, the mother returns and fights to have her daughter back, after being told out of pure envy that the baby had died in an accident. Instead, the count and his legitimate wife (Giulietta D'Arienzo) have raised the child as theirs.

The discovery of this secret favours those who envy the young and rich countess, but in the end to no avail.


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 7 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini and Livio Pavanelli in L'invidia/Envy (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918).

Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 8 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini in L'invidia/Envy (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918).


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 10 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini in L'invidia/Envy (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1918).

La lussuria (1919)

Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 1 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini  in La lussuria/Lust (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1919).

Lust

According to IMDb the plot of La lussuria/Lust (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1919) is this: Leonard (Livio Pavanelli ), a poor cashier, is arduously attracted to the beautiful but despising Magdalena Dutertre (Bertini). When time goes by and he becomes a powerful banker, her elusiveness turns to fire.

According to Vittorio Martinelli, based on Paiman's Filmliste, this is the plot: The daughter of an industrialist who has been ruined by a rival takes revenge on the latter by seducing whom with all of her forces. She first manages to ruin him financially, and finally forces him to commit suicide.

At the time, the Roman critic Zac (C. Zappia) wrote he was glad that, finally, the series was over, with its repetitive plots and performances. Yet, he had to admit that the audiences flocked to the bourgeois cinemas like the Quatro Fontane and Cinema Regina to see the film and their beloved star, and the film thus was a commercial success.


Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 7 of 10. Photo: Bertini Film / Caesar Film, Roma / Distr. J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Francesca Bertini  in La lussuria/Lust (Edoardo Bencivenga, 1919).