THE “DIVA GENTILE”. THE ACTRESS SOAVA GALLONE IN ITALIAN CINEMA MAGAZINES FROM 1915 TO 1925

this article illustrates the critical reception of Soava Gallone, born Stanislava Winawer, according to Italian movie magazines between 1915 and 1925. the career of the Polish actress, who settled in Italy in 1911, developed especially during the golden age of the “Diva-Film”, a proper Italian film genre that focuses attention on female roles and on the characters that they play, of Symbolist and Dannunzian derivation. the actress’ approach to her craftwas a far cry from the canons of the “divas” of that time, who were characterised by languid gazes and mannered poses. While Lyda Borelli, Francesca Bertini, Pina Menechelli played mainly “femmes fatales”, Soava Gallone preferred more reassuring characters whose seductive implications were often derived from the cruelty of the male characters. In Avatar (Carmine Gallone, 1915), Gallone played a loyal wife; in Senza Colpa! (Carmine Gallone, 1915), she played an innocent woman forced to defend herself from an attempted rape with homicide; in La Chiamavano Cosetta (eugenio Perego, 1917), she portrayed a woman pushed to false desires for luxury and wrongful wishes, having been ripped from her simple world. Finally, in Il Bacio di Cyrano (1919), Maman Poupée (1919), Amleto e il Suo Clown (1920) and Marcella (1921), she consistently portrayed the same type of character: a gentle woman with angelic features. even the public image she tried to build for herself was that of a reassuring, smart and cultured woman. the photographs depicting her never showed her in poses as seductive as those of Menechelli or Bertini, and for the majority of the columnists of the Italian press of those years, Soava Gallone was described as “the pale blonde creature”, “the beautiful, simple and spontaneous [one]”, the “gentle and pleasing interpreter”.

The article presents the history and current activities of Cinecittà in Rome, one of the most important film companies in the world, also known as „Hollywood on the Tiber”. The author draws attention to the fact that the research up to date has focused mainly on Italian cinema, while Cinecittà appears as a supplement to the critical analysis of that cinematography. Starting from the history of the production company, what dates back to 30’s of the XX century, the author shows how the Roman film town has changed over the years and what its legal situation is like. The next chapter describes the current activities of Cinecittà, where runs a professional film and television studio, which produces films, series, commercials, music videos, commercial events; a museum (Cinecittà si mostra) and an important and internatrional cultural institution (Istituto Luce) with educational and promotional range. The considerations are complemented with examples of films produced in the company. Summing up, the author suggests that Cinecittà deserves a separate and insightful elaboration, which does not still exist in Polish language.