Borellismo was a word used in Italy in the teens to describe the Lyda Borelli craze. Girls went on diets and strove to imitate her twisted postures. She was like a decadent version of the Pre-Raphaelite beauty--thin, with wavy blond hair and strange but picturesque poses. She portrayed characters who were doomed and otherworldly, often bordering on the supernatural. Her Rapsodia Satanica (1915), a compelling film about an old woman who makes a pact with the Devil for eternal youth, is an splendid introduction to this fascinating star. She was also one of the divas featured in Peter Delpeut's recent film Diva Dolorosa (1999) and an extended sequence from Fior de Male appeared in his earlier film Lyrisch Nitraat (AKA Lyrical Nitrate) (1991)

Angela Dalle Vacche. Diva : defiance and passion in early Italian cinema. Austin : University of Texas Press, 2008.

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©2001, by Greta de Groat. All Rights Reserved

Last revised August 27, 2012