È piccerella (1922)
directed and written by Elvira Notari
music and live electronics Maurilio Cacciatore
È piccirella
subject taken from the song of the same name by Libero Bovio
cinematography Nicola Notari
editing Elvira e Nicola Notari
cast Rosé Angione (Margaretella), Alberto Danza (Tore), Eduardo Notari (Gennariello), Elisa Cava (Maria, madre di Tore e Gennariello), Signora Duval (A ziè Rosa), Antonio Palmieri (Carluccio)
production Dora Film
digital restoration carried out in 2018 by CSC – Cineteca Nazionale
in collaboration with ZDF-ARTE
The young Tore falls madly in love with Margaretella, a fickle and scheming girl. Blinded by passion, he spends vast sums of money trying to win her over, but she treats him with contempt and ambiguity, showering him with affection one moment, then rejecting him the next. This triggers a spiral of ruin and death. Like almost all the films by Elvira Notari, a pioneering female filmmaker, this work is a precursor of Neorealism and the sceneggiata. Inspired by a poignant love song, it is set in Naples’ working-class neighbourhoods — the world of the bassi and the scugnizzi, where poverty and social deprivation reign. It is a vivid melodrama of love and passion, emphasised by a complex, multilayered musical score that blends classical instruments and electronics.
