Il padrone delle ferriere

This Italian silent film was produced by Itala Film, a Turin based company which operated between 1905 and 1919, this possibly being their final production. It is directed by Eugenio Perego, who made 42 films between 1912 and 1929, and stars the wonderful Pina Menichelli, one of the great stars of Italy's silent cinema, whose career lasted from 1913 to 1925. It is an adaptation from a French novel very popular at the time, "Le Maître de forges" (1882) by Georges Ohnet. The novelist had died in 1918, so he didn't live to see the film. The novel being a classic societal love story, it has been filmed multiple times: in the United States (1914, 1917, 1933) in France (1933, 1948) again in Italy (1959), in Greece (1965, 1966, 1968), as well as in Turkey (1965, 1969). So you really can have your pick about which version you choose to watch, though none of them is particularly famous.

Not having seen the rest of them, you could definitely do a lot worse than this Italian silent. It tells the story in a way that is thorough, but not slow. It is shot well, it has nice close-ups, the scenery and the sets worked, and the acting is good. The film tells the story of Clara de Beaulieu (Menichelli), the daughter of a rich noble family, who is engaged with the love of her live, the duke of Bligny (Luigi Serventi). The family however goes broke, and in order to save them, Clara must instead marry Filippo Derblay (Amleto Novelli), who comes from a lower social class, but owns an iron factory. The film asks, can she be happy with someone like Filippo, can love triumph in a union divided by class differences?

The questions that the film ponders do not feel relevant or timely anymore, they are products of the 19th century literature. But that's fine. It's nice that this film has survived, and that it has received such a fantastic restoration. The visuals are appealing, and the story is told nicely. The best thing about the film is Pina Menichelli, who is a movie star in the classic sense of the word. It was enjoyable to watch her work, even if her acting was a tad too grandiose for current tastes. Big feelings must be played in a big way, after all.