Romola (1924)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

George Eliot (novel)
Will M. Ritchey (writer)

Release Date:

5 October 1925 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

In Renaissance Florence, Tito, a no-good young man pretending to be a scholar, wins the admiration of...

Plot Keywords:

Historical | Based On Novel

Cast

Lillian Gish	...	Romola
Dorothy Gish	...	Tessa
William Powell	...	Tito Melema (as William H. Powell)
Ronald Colman	...	Carlo Bucellini
Charles Lane	...	Baldassar Calvo
Herbert Grimwood	...	Savonarola
Bonaventura Ibáñez	...	Bardo Bardi
Frank Puglia	...	Adolfo Spini
Amelia Summerville	...	Brigida
Tina Ceccaci Renaldi	...	Monna Ghita
Eduilio Mucci	...	Nello
Angela Scatigna	...	Bratti
Ugo Uccellini	...	Bishop of Nemours
Alfredo Martinelli	...	Captain of the Barque
Attilo Deodati	...	Tomaso

Runtime:

Sweden:91 min | USA:120 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Company:

Inspiration Pictures

Trivia:

Lillian Gish met with Benito Mussolini, whom she greatly admired, while filming Romola (1924) in Italy.

William Powell Marries the Gish Sisters

In Florence, Italy, during the Renaissance, Lillian Gish (as Romola) lives with her blind father Bonaventura Ibáñez (as Bardo Bardi), who is a friend of Savonarola, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. Although they are not too wealthy, the Bardis have one of the world's best libraries. Young sculptor Ronald Colman (as Carlo Bucellini) is interested in the lovely Lillian, but she is interested in more scholarly pursuits; this makes her an easy mark for shipwrecked sham scholar William Powell (as Tito Melema). Before Mr. Powell cleans up for his meeting with Lillian, he meets simple street maid Dorothy Gish (as Tessa). Dorothy is quite taken with the dashing Powell; then, so is Lillian. Can he marry them both?

Henry King's "Romola" makes a fine silent film, thanks to lavish location production values, and a winning cast. The title notwithstanding, the film focuses on the intermarrying three characters played by Lillian Gish, William Powell, and Dorothy Gish. Close to the film's end, the three have some great on screen conflict time together; and, Lillian performs a cathartic moment exceptionally well. An exciting ending follows. Curiously, Powell's "Tito" character seems to be the story's main protagonist, arguably, until the end; surely, the original George Eliot novel was more focused on "Romola".