Diana, the Enchantress
About Diana, the Enchantress
Diana, a spy, is told to use a seduction to take military secrets from naval captain Newse. She works with Amari. She gets the papers, and she also falls in love with Newse. Caught between the job and the man, she turns. To keep him clear of it, she blows up Amari's hidden observation post, with Amari inside.
Cast & crew
More about Diana, the Enchantress
Gustavo Serena directed and plays Captain Newse. Renzo Chiosso wrote the script. Francesca Bertini plays Diana. Carlo Benetti plays Amari. Alberto G. Carta photographed it. Alfredo Manzi designed the sets. Caesar Film of Rome produced it. The Italian opening was December 31, 1915. The running time is given as 60 minutes, from a negative of 1,654 meters. The Italian title is Diana, l'affascinatrice.
Themes
Background
It was made in Italy in 1915, the year the country entered the First World War, and the plot is a spy job against an unnamed enemy.
Making
Serena directed and plays the officer opposite Bertini.
Look
Alberto G. Carta shot the film for Caesar Film.
Preservation
The Italian Wikipedia says a quarter of the print is lost. A surviving copy is on the Internet Archive. A print is also logged at the Cinémathèque royale de Belgique.
Notes
- Alfredo De Antoni is also in the cast.
- English-language summaries call the partner Robertson and the officer Captain Argo. The Italian credits name them Amari and Captain Newse.
- A site that logged the Belgian print says the story is set in the Netherlands and that Diana, after taking the fortification plans, disappears in order to spare Newse.
- The Italian Wikipedia says a quarter of the print is lost.
- Vittorio Martinelli describes it in Il cinema muto italiano 1915 (Nuova ERI, 1992), pages 144–145.
Scenes
- Diana gets close enough to Newse to take the military papers.
- She destroys Amari's hidden post, with him in it.
Also available
- Internet Archive (silent-diana-laffascinatrice)
