This movie takes place in Italy but the scenery looks as if it was filmed in France. The heroine is identified (in the intertitles) as French, but there's no particular reason for her to be French apart from the fact that the actress who plays her is French. In a sound film, this sort of backstory is necessary to cover casting problems such as a French actress who can't do a convincing Italian accent. Since this is a silent film, with the actors' voices unheard, there's really no need for such pretexts.
Anyhow: the very sensuous actress Regina Badet portrays a French dancer cried Manuella, which sounds like a Spanish name to me. She is touring Italy with her two musicians, Marco (Marc Gerard) and Lionel (Andree Lionel). The latter is also her lover, and they're quite open about it.
When Count Rezzi (Gabriel Signoret) sees the buskers performing, he is aroused with lust for Manuella. He is dismayed to discover that Manuella and Lionel are quite happy with things as they are. (I was hoping that the very attractive Ma'mselle Badet would add a long flowing train to her costume, so that the faithful Lionel would be her train-bearer. Lionel train, geddit?)
Meanwhile, Marco is aroused by the count's wealth. He tries to steal some of the count's jewels. The count catches Marco red-handed. Instead of demanding the return of his property, Count Rezzi blackmails Marco into planting the jewels on Lionel. Then the count arranges for the jewels to be discovered on the person of the guiltless Lionel, who didn't even know he was holding them.
Now get this, folks. By means of some surprisingly subtle acting by the cast, with a minimum of explanatory titles, Lionel comes to the mistaken conclusion that Manuella nicked the dazzlers and planted them on his person ... so Lionel pleads guilty to the theft in order to protect Manuella! Delighted by this turn of events, the count has Lionel hustled off the hoosegow. (Armand Tallier portrays the carabiniere.)
SPOILERS COMING. Manuella has been established as a poor wandering entertainer, but somehow she's managed to come into possession of a loaded revolver. Concealing this in her skirts, she pays a call upon the count and begs him to withdraw the charge against Lionel. Twirling his moustache in all directions, Count Rezzi declares that he will happily withdraw the charge ... if Manuella will first become his "light of love" (that's how the intertitles put it; it feels a bit less ludicrous in French). Manuella whips out her piece (the revolver, I mean) and tries to shoot Count Rizzi. They struggle for the weapon, and the count accidentally shoots himself. Realising that he's done for, he clears Lionel. The lovers are happily reunited.
Mama mia! I didn't like the climax of this movie. Manuella is prepared to commit murder for the sake of her lover, but Count Rezzi conveniently shoots himself instead ... thus achieving what Manuella set out to accomplish while leaving her technically innocent of murder. Even more conveniently, the count manages to live long enough to clear the accused man.
On the positive side, there are some spectacularly beautiful exterior shots in this French film. The costumes and production design are excellent, and the actors' performances are far more naturalistic than I expected for this operatic sort of story. My rating for this one: 8 out of 10
Anyhow: the very sensuous actress Regina Badet portrays a French dancer cried Manuella, which sounds like a Spanish name to me. She is touring Italy with her two musicians, Marco (Marc Gerard) and Lionel (Andree Lionel). The latter is also her lover, and they're quite open about it.
When Count Rezzi (Gabriel Signoret) sees the buskers performing, he is aroused with lust for Manuella. He is dismayed to discover that Manuella and Lionel are quite happy with things as they are. (I was hoping that the very attractive Ma'mselle Badet would add a long flowing train to her costume, so that the faithful Lionel would be her train-bearer. Lionel train, geddit?)
Meanwhile, Marco is aroused by the count's wealth. He tries to steal some of the count's jewels. The count catches Marco red-handed. Instead of demanding the return of his property, Count Rezzi blackmails Marco into planting the jewels on Lionel. Then the count arranges for the jewels to be discovered on the person of the guiltless Lionel, who didn't even know he was holding them.
Now get this, folks. By means of some surprisingly subtle acting by the cast, with a minimum of explanatory titles, Lionel comes to the mistaken conclusion that Manuella nicked the dazzlers and planted them on his person ... so Lionel pleads guilty to the theft in order to protect Manuella! Delighted by this turn of events, the count has Lionel hustled off the hoosegow. (Armand Tallier portrays the carabiniere.)
SPOILERS COMING. Manuella has been established as a poor wandering entertainer, but somehow she's managed to come into possession of a loaded revolver. Concealing this in her skirts, she pays a call upon the count and begs him to withdraw the charge against Lionel. Twirling his moustache in all directions, Count Rezzi declares that he will happily withdraw the charge ... if Manuella will first become his "light of love" (that's how the intertitles put it; it feels a bit less ludicrous in French). Manuella whips out her piece (the revolver, I mean) and tries to shoot Count Rizzi. They struggle for the weapon, and the count accidentally shoots himself. Realising that he's done for, he clears Lionel. The lovers are happily reunited.
Mama mia! I didn't like the climax of this movie. Manuella is prepared to commit murder for the sake of her lover, but Count Rezzi conveniently shoots himself instead ... thus achieving what Manuella set out to accomplish while leaving her technically innocent of murder. Even more conveniently, the count manages to live long enough to clear the accused man.
On the positive side, there are some spectacularly beautiful exterior shots in this French film. The costumes and production design are excellent, and the actors' performances are far more naturalistic than I expected for this operatic sort of story. My rating for this one: 8 out of 10
