Italian postcard by Ed. A. Traldi, Milano, no. 738. Rina De Liguoro dies in the final scene of Messalina (Enrico Guazzoni 1924).
Italian postcard by Ed. Falci, La Fotominio, no. 385. Rina De Liguoro as the Roman empress Messalina in Messalina (Enrico Guazzoni, 1924).
Italian postcard by B & G, B, no. 11. Signed by Rina De Liguoro. Rina De Liguoro is the title character in the epic film Messalina (Enrico Guazzoni, 1924).
Italian postcard by Ed. Falci, La Fotominio. The Italian king Victor Emmanuel III and the princesses Jolanda and Giovanna visited the shooting in 1923 of the Italian silent epic Messalina (Enrico Guazzoni, 1924), starring (Countess) Rina De Liguoro.
Messalina (1924)
Claudius (Augusto Mastripietri) is acclaimed emperor after the murder of Caligula (Nello Carotenuto) by the praetorians, whose leader, Marcus, is in love with his wife, the immoral Messalina (Rina De Liguoro). She often leaves the imperial palace to roam the infamous areas in search of fleeting adventures and, during a raid, is rescued by Ennius (Gino Talamo), a Persian slave, with whom she falls in love.
She thus becomes the rival of Mirit (Gianna Terribili Gonzales), priestess of Isis, who blackmails the slave for her favours. Emperor Claudius, meanwhile, foils a plot to overthrow him hatched by Marcus and has him killed. To gain his freedom, Ennius participates in a quadriga race, but Mirit, annoyed by his refusal, arranges to poison the precious horses he is counting on for victory. Without the trained animals, Ennius topples over during the race and risks being killed by the gladiators, and it is Messalina who intervenes and brings him to safety.
Instead, Ennius loves Mirit's slave Egle (Lucia Zanussi), who is tortured by Mirit but at last saved by Ennius and his strongman friend Tigrane (Adolphe Trouché), who delivers Mirit to her own lions. The empress hatches a plot against her husband with the help of Caius Silvius. When this is discovered, Silvius is publicly humiliated and chased, while Messalina prefers to kill herself before being reduced in chains by the praetorians.
While Enrico Guazzoni shot Messalina in 1923, its Roman premiere took place in March 1924, while foreign premieres (Finland, Austria) already took place in January 1924. La rivista cinematografica (10-6-1924): "Excellent is the Countess Rina de Liguoro in the part of Messalina, a part so fit to her and cancelling the bad impression of her in a film some time ago of which we better don't speak anymore. For once the scissors of the censor have been mild towards the historical feats, so we can enjoy Messalina the corrupt, the depraved, the beautiful... we won't say more. Who hasn't gone yet, go and judge for yourself. Messalina is the triumph of the Italian cinematography, the pride of Enrico Guazzoni, and the Renaissance of our art."
Indeed, despite the decadence of Italian cinema in the early 1920s, Messalina was well-received in and outside of Italy. It was the only Italian silent film shown in the new Soviet Union. In the Anglosaxon world, the film was presented as The Fall of an Empress. Rina De Liguoro had her breakthrough as the sensual, untamed Roman empress. The beautiful countess continued her glittering career in such epics as Quo Vadis (1924), Casanova (1927) and Cecil B. De Mille's notorious flop Madam Satan (1930).
Italian postcard by Ed. Falci, La Fotominio, no. 386. Rina De Liguoro as the Roman empress Messalina in Messalina (Enrico Guazzoni, 1924).
Italian postcard by Ed. A. Traldi, Milano, no. 738. Rina De Liguoro in Messalina (Enrico Guazzoni, 1924).
Belgian postcard by Anvers Palace. Photo: Rina De Liguoro in Messalina (Enrico Guazzoni, 1924).
Belgian postcard (flip side). Publicity for the film Messalina (Enrico Guazzoni, 1924) at the Antwerp-based cinema Anvers-Palace.
The Opera Messaline (1899)
French postcard by A. Bergeret, Nancy. Caption: Messaline et Harès. Postcard mailed in 1906.
French postcard by A. Bergeret, Nancy. Caption: Hélion et Harès. Postcard mailed in 1906.
One of the earliest stage productions to feature the fall of the empress was 'The Tragedy of Messalina' (1639) by Nathanael Richards, where she is depicted as a monster. As well as plays, the story of Messalina was adapted to ballet and opera. The postcards above were made for the French opera 'Messaline' by Isidore de Lara, which premiered in 1899 in Monte Carlo. Yet, the A. Bergeret cards were for a production starring Belgian singer Jane Dasthy as Messalina. It was performed at least from late 1902 onward, e.g. at Montpellier, Nimes, Avignon, Ghent, Nantes, and Nice. Dhasty continued in later years with the opera in Lyon (1908) and Besançon (1909) but without the previous success.
In this opera, Empress Messalina is hated by all and many satirical songs about her circulate. Harès, one of the protest singers is brought to her, he is young and beautiful and so… Afterward, he is dumped by her and while looking for new adventures she meets in a tavern Helion, a sturdy gladiator, who saves her from the attacking mob. Harès witnesses this and realizes Messalina is about to start an affair with his own brother Helion. Later on, Hares discovers the love nest of Messalina and Helion. Quickly she hides Helion and her servants bound and gag Hares and throw him into the Tiber. Hares survives thanks to nearby boatmen but swears to kill the empress. Helion, who up till now didn’t realize his lover is the empress, goes to the imperial box at the circus to complain and discovers his beloved is the hated empress. She manages to seduce him again. Messalina warns him outside is a man who is waiting to kill her. He kills the intruder who storms in and of course, the other is his own brother. Out of his mind of grief, Helion jumps into the arena where the beasts will kill him.
The operatic tragédie lyrique 'Messaline' (Messalina) was composed by Isidore de Lara. The librettists were Paul Armand Silvestre and Eugène Morand. It premiered at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo on 21 March 1899 and was received enthusiastically. In the same year 'Messaline' was also performed at Covent Garden in London. 'Messaline' was de Lara's most successful opera. Subsequent productions were performed throughout Europe, including the first opera by an Englishman to be mounted at La Scala in Milan in 1901. According to the journal L'art dramatique et musical au XXe siècle, when in 1901 the opera was performed at the Scala for just one time, fans and acolytes of Arrigo Boito, whose Nerone was planned to be performed the year after (it would take several more years, until 1924 to be precise!), sensed competition and interrupted the performance with barking and growling. Nevertheless, the opera was a triumph and the author and singers were called back several times. Other notable performances of 'Messaline' took place at the Paris Opéra in 1903 (with Emma Calvé in the lead), in Warsaw in 1904, and in Cairo in 1907. The opera made its United States premiere at the Metropolitan Opera on 22 January 1902. The opera remained a regular part of the repertory, particularly in France, until 1943.
Jane Dhasty, singer from the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels, was announced to sing the role of Messaline for the first time on 21 January 1902 in Montpellier. Yet, it took till the end of the year to materialize. In late December 1902 Dhasty sang the lead in 'Messaline' at the Grand-Théâtre in Montpellier (so a year before the Paris premiere!). The local press was full of praise of the spectacle and considered the scenes with their voluptuous sumptuous sets in dark, bluish or purple tones worthy of the paintings by Georges-Antoine Rochegrosse. Yet, apart from Dasthy, there was little praise for the cast and the action seemed chaotic. Dhasty would also sing the part (probably all in 1903) in Nimes, Avignon, Ghent, Nice and Nantes.
Dasthy sang in Nantes the role from 12 December 1903, with Mézy as Hares and Abonil as Helion. The show in Nantes was an enormous success, according to the press. Sets were by M. Guillot, mise-en-scène by M. Viroux. A special festive evening was organised in early January 1904, also to celebrate Dasthy’s appointment to Officier de l’ordre, in which Lara thanked everybody. It is possible that the well-known postcard producer A. Bergeret from Nancy made a series of postcards on the opera with Dhasty after the success in Nantes. This could also mean Mezy and Abonil are visible on the postcards, next to Dasthy.
French postcard by A. Bergeret & Cie, Nancy. Caption: Viens aimer... Postcard mailed in 1906.
French postcard by A. Bergeret, Nancy. Caption: Mort de Harès. Postcard mailed in 1904.
Messaline (1910)
French postcard.
Madeleine Roch (1883–1930) was a reputed French 'tragédienne' from the Comédie-Française, who between 1909 and 1913 acted in a series of 11 Film d'Art-like historical films at Pathé Frères, including Messaline (Ferdinand Zecca, Henri Andréani, 1910). Roch entered the Comédie-Française in 1903 and was Sociétaire there between 1912 and 1930. She stopped film acting in 1912. In 1930 Roch gave her last stage performance and died in the same year.
In Messaline (Ferdinand Zecca, Henri Andréani, 1910), the empress (Madeleine Roch) leads a double life, secretly looking for pleasures in the city of Rome. She meets Manus (Louis Ravet), who is betrothed to Thysla (Madeleine Céliat) and is an honest Roman. When Manus rescues her from the mob, she falls in love with him. When he refuses her love, she has him arrested and imprisoned.
Thysla witnesses the arrest and finds out Messalina ordered it. During an orgy Messalina tries to seduce him, but fails. Narcissus and Vitellius warn Claudius (Jean Jacquinet) of the Empress' behaviour. Thysla implores Claudius to give her her bethrothed back. When Manus refuses Messalina a last time, she orders him to be strangled, but Claudius arrives just in time to reunite the couple, and orders the death of Messalina instead. In the US, the film was known as The Justice of Claudius.
Messalina (1951)
West German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag, no. 525. Photo: Filmsonor / Gallone / Allianz-Film. Maria Felix in Messalina/The Affairs of Messalina (Carmine Gallone, 1951).
German postcard by Kunst und Bild, Berlin, no. A 405. Photo: Allianz Film. Maria Félix in Messalina (Carmine Gallone, 1951).
Energetic, fiery femme fatale María Félix (1914–2002) was an icon of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. She was considered one of the most beautiful film actresses of her time, and one of the erotic myths of the Spanish-language cinema. She debuted in Italy with Incantesimo Tragico/Tragic Spell (Mario Sequi, 1951) opposite Rossano Brazzi. In the same year, she filmed Messalina (Carmine Gallone, 1951), with French actor Georges Marchal, Memo Benassi, Delia Scala and Erno Crisa.
At the time, Messalina (1951) was the most expensive film of the Italian cinema. It was a co-production between France, Italy and Spain. It was shot at the Cinecittà studios in Rome with sets designed by the art directors Gastone Medin and Vittorio Nino Novarese. It was part of a growing trend of epic historical films of the 1950s. The story of Messalina (1951) is again set in Rome in 44 A.D. and again concerns the amorous and political intrigues of the evil Messalina and her eventual hounding to death. Thirsty for power and pleasure, Messalina changes lovers as quickly as she eliminates her enemies, such as the proverbial Valerius. She even manages to convince the emperor Claudius, terrified by a false oracle, that to save him she must remarry her lover Caius Sylvius. But the plan with which she plans to seize the imperial throne will turn against her.
The reputation of Messalina, the third wife of Emperor Claudius, as being murderous and sexually rapacious is mainly based upon the histories of Suetonius and Tacitus while Juvenal in his sixth satire was also far from complimentary. Historians assume that some accounts were politically biased character assassinations in which historical facts were mixed with gossip. The historical figure and her fate were often used in the arts to make a moral point, but there was often as well a prurient fascination with her sexually liberated behaviour.
However, Maria Felix is perfect in the role. Messalina increased the international profile of the sensual, smouldering actress and probably paved the way for her French films including Jean Renoir's classic French Cancan. Director Carmine Gallone is known for his notorious propaganda film Scipio Africanus (1937) which was made to justify Italy's invasion of Abyssinia. That film featured Camillo Pilotto as Hannibal and Memo Benassi as Cinna and both also appear in this film. Benassi, in particular, is excellent as Claudius. There is also very good support from the French actors Jean Chevrier as Valerius, Germaine Kerjean as the 'witch' and Jean Tissier, suitably flamboyant as Mnester.
Messalina (1951) is beautifully shot by Anchise Brizzi and the excellent, understated score is by Renzo Rossellini. Brog Miller at IMDb: "The gladiatorial combats are generally well handled and the obligatory one-sided 'Christians versus Lions' contest has an unusual twist, to say the least. Historically inaccurate to be sure but extremely watchable. Maria is mean, moody and magnificent".
German film brochure by Illustrierte Film-Bühne, no. 1397. Maria Félix in Messalina (Carmine Gallone, 1951).
Austrian film brochure by Neues Filmprogramm, no. 2216. Photo: Oefram / Emo-Bistolfi. Belinda Lee as the notorious Roman Empress Messalina in Messalina Venere Imperatrice (Vittorio Cottafavi, 1960). The German distribution title by Oefram-Film was Messalina Kaiserin und Kurtisane.
Sources: Brog Miller (IMDb), Gallica, Wikipedia (French and English) and IMDb.
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