Satan's Rhapsody

Can’t believe this banger is 109 years old

Can’t believe this banger is 109 years old

I reeeeaaaaally need to get more into italian culture in general. Damn, italian art, poetry, lyricism and connection to the human soul has proven to be unmatched. Sorry, France.

Also, I want to dedicate this review as an epitaph to cinema as an artform, given recent events (Netflix buying Warner Bros, just the nth death of cinema). The use of colors not just as mere aesthetic fetish but as a means of genuine expression, theatricality in body movements, everything permeating lust, youth, love and deception... basically none of that can be allowed in modern culture, just mere shadows here and there. Everything must be completely pasteurized for safe comsuption instead of making our brains think and our hearts feel. The recent death blow to cinema takes us a step closer to a brave new world. Orgy porgy!

I reeeeaaaaally need to get more into italian culture in general. Damn, italian art, poetry, lyricism and connection to the human soul has proven to be unmatched. Sorry, France.

Also, I want to dedicate this review as an epitaph to cinema as an artform, given recent events (Netflix buying Warner Bros, just the nth death of cinema). The use of colors not just as mere aesthetic fetish but as a means of genuine expression, theatricality in body movements, everything permeating lust, youth, love and deception... basically none of that can be allowed in modern culture, just mere shadows here and there. Everything must be completely pasteurized for safe comsuption instead of making our brains think and our hearts feel. The recent death blow to cinema takes us a step closer to a brave new world. Orgy porgy!

Hooptober 12 8/31

Feels like someone put guilt, temptation, and 1910s glamour into a blender and called it cinema. It’s operatic in the best way — every emotion is dialed up to cosmic levels, and Lyda Borelli moves like she’s summoning spirits with her hands.

The visuals are drenched in that haunting, pre-expressionist mood — part dream, part nightmare, all perfectly overacted. The devil shows up, chaos follows, and suddenly everyone’s gazing longingly into the abyss like it owes them money.

It drifts, sure, but it’s so hypnotic you almost don’t care. A relic from another world — slow, strange, and kind of glorious.

Hooptober 12 8/31

Feels like someone put guilt, temptation, and 1910s glamour into a blender and called it cinema. It’s operatic in the best way — every emotion is dialed up to cosmic levels, and Lyda Borelli moves like she’s summoning spirits with her hands.

The visuals are drenched in that haunting, pre-expressionist mood — part dream, part nightmare, all perfectly overacted. The devil shows up, chaos follows, and suddenly everyone’s gazing longingly into the abyss like it owes them money.

It drifts, sure, but it’s so hypnotic you almost don’t care. A relic from another world — slow, strange, and kind of glorious.

came across this and i immediately pulled up the movie when i saw the woman in the banner then continued to be mesmerised by her beauty throughout the entire run. Lyda Borelli i am now in love with you

came across this and i immediately pulled up the movie when i saw the woman in the banner then continued to be mesmerised by her beauty throughout the entire run. Lyda Borelli i am now in love with you

Hooptober 12
9 decades - 1910
1 Silent Film 

[Note: I watched the 2015 4K digital restoration.]

Happy Hooptober one and all! 

I was short on time tonight, but still wanted to kick off my Hooptober watchlist properly on Day 1, so I opted to screen Rapsodia Satanica, a 45-minute Italian silent film that is coming up on its 100th anniversary. 

The film is a reimagining of the myth of Faust, only it features a female protagonist instead of a male one. Elderly Contessa Alba d'Oltrevita yearns for the days of her youth, and makes a deal with the demon Mephisto to acquire it once more. In return though, she must swear to never love again. As most devilish deals do, Alba’s goes horribly awry, resulting in great amounts of yearning, emotional torture, and tragedy across the film’s runtime. 

I feel strongly that this is by far the most gorgeous silent film I have ever experienced! There was just something so artistically beautiful about every facet of the production, from the lavishly dressed sets to the dramatically composed visuals to the dreamy color effects to the intricate and uniquely expressive original score. I truly loved the music that accompanied this movie; it was a joy to listen to. The costumes were also divine — I adore a good 1910’s gown, and there were multiple here. The drama in Alba’s gauzy white shawls, mixed with the way that she twisted and flung her body about as she pined for companionship created these over-the-top emotional visuals that really worked for me. 

There was also a repeated motif of reflection throughout the film, emphasized by the use of reflective surfaces such as mirrors and pools of water that Alba kept being drawn to throughout the story. This movie came across to me as more of a romantic tragedy than a true horror, though I can see how the Satanic imagery and more metaphysical aspects of the story would be enough to spook audiences 100 years ago. However, the final scene where Alba, transformed again back to an old crone, gazes upon her reflection in the water and dies, took me aback with how dark and chilling it felt to watch. 

A dreamy new favorite of mine for sure. Looking forward to rewatching sometime soon!

Hooptober 12
9 decades - 1910
1 Silent Film 

[Note: I watched the 2015 4K digital restoration.]

Happy Hooptober one and all! 

I was short on time tonight, but still wanted to kick off my Hooptober watchlist properly on Day 1, so I opted to screen Rapsodia Satanica, a 45-minute Italian silent film that is coming up on its 100th anniversary. 

The film is a reimagining of the myth of Faust, only it features a female protagonist instead of a male one. Elderly Contessa Alba d'Oltrevita yearns for the days of her youth, and makes a deal with the demon Mephisto to acquire it once more. In return though, she must swear to never love again. As most devilish deals do, Alba’s goes horribly awry, resulting in great amounts of yearning, emotional torture, and tragedy across the film’s runtime. 

I feel strongly that this is by far the most gorgeous silent film I have ever experienced! There was just something so artistically beautiful about every facet of the production, from the lavishly dressed sets to the dramatically composed visuals to the dreamy color effects to the intricate and uniquely expressive original score. I truly loved the music that accompanied this movie; it was a joy to listen to. The costumes were also divine — I adore a good 1910’s gown, and there were multiple here. The drama in Alba’s gauzy white shawls, mixed with the way that she twisted and flung her body about as she pined for companionship created these over-the-top emotional visuals that really worked for me. 

There was also a repeated motif of reflection throughout the film, emphasized by the use of reflective surfaces such as mirrors and pools of water that Alba kept being drawn to throughout the story. This movie came across to me as more of a romantic tragedy than a true horror, though I can see how the Satanic imagery and more metaphysical aspects of the story would be enough to spook audiences 100 years ago. However, the final scene where Alba, transformed again back to an old crone, gazes upon her reflection in the water and dies, took me aback with how dark and chilling it felt to watch. 

A dreamy new favorite of mine for sure. Looking forward to rewatching sometime soon!