Marina di Malombra is the beautiful and sophisticated young niece of a count. She could be described in the terms used in a 1967 work : "dominant, secure, self-confident, nasty, violent, selfish, independent, proud, thrill-seeking, free-wheeling, arrogant females, who consider themselves fit to rule the universe". Marina becomes convinced she is the reincarnation of a madwoman out for fatal revenge. Corrado Silla is a sensitive young man born into nobility, but now on the verge of poverty. He longs for fame in the world of arts and letters, but has failed. Marina taunts, scorns, then publicly humiliates him. Thus, Silla is ready to sign up as Marina's love slave, but his pride gets in the way. This is the love story of Marina and Silla. Lyda Borelli's spellbinding performance of Marina's metamorphosis, and Amleto Novelli's subtle portrayal of a man torn between his pride and his passion for (and fear of) a dominant woman, both captured with the right direction and photography, make this a classic.
