"The White Sister", a film directed by Herr Henry King in the silent year of 1923, depicts the unfortunate fate of its heroine, an aristocrat and rich Italian girl ( a strange fact this because to be rich and an aristocrat are not synonymous in Germany
). Because the main character of the film, Dame Angela Chiaromonte ( Dame Lillian Gish ) suffers what fate has in store for her (and believe it or not, it is not to attend decadent soirées) this German count will relate the sad tale right now
Dame Angela is in love with the young, handsome captain Herr Giovanni Severini ( Herr Ronald Colman ). They are engaged and want to seal their love pretty soon but Dame Chiaromonte's ill fate doesn't permit such happiness and delivers the first blow when Dame Chiaromonte's father dies while riding with his hounds. This is not a serious problem in itself, you know: your rich father dies unexpectedly and in that same moment you inherit an enormous fortune. That's the usual proceedings in Deutschland but the problem is that Dame Chiaromonte has an elder and evil stepsister ( natürlich! ), Marchesa de Mola ( Dame Gail Kane ). She has plenty of malicious intentions and drives our heroine from her estate and takes away her inheritance, having secretly burned her father's will.
Penniless, Dame Chiaromonte has to bear the further indignity of having her fiancée's father decide to cancel the marriage and to make things worse her fiancée is assigned to a distant land in where he will be attacked by natives and declared officially dead..... So, besides penniless, Dame Chiaromonte is also loveless!. Desperate, she decides to become a nun ( a desperate decision, certainly ), devoting herself to people even worse off than herself( selfish solace ). Then, many years later, Herr Giovanni appears; he find out that his fiancée has become a pious nun so he abandons any lascivious feelings for her.
Ah!... you can't find any comfort, any hope in such miserable love story and even Dame Chiaromonte devoted and pious life doesn't have any reward from her master as the German saying "to drown one's sorrows" doesn't work here because Gott's wrath, in the form of a volcanic eruption ( Vesuvius namely ) causes a flood, drowning Herr Giovanni while he was helping to save the lives of the poor people who lived under Vesuvius.
"The White Sister" it is one of those classic "larger than life" film stories successfully directed by Herr King ( excellent pacing and film narration makes its 140 minutes seem shorter ). It's a good example of those powerful oeuvres full of conservative and high values and principles of the old epochs ( self-sacrifice, strong convictions, religious devotion, chastity ) that includes beautiful scenery, art direction and devoted, solid and convincing performances by Dame Lillian Gish ( a candid heroine ) and Herr Ronald Colman ( a long-suffering man in love ),It makes for a great film although one dated in these modern times in which such strong convictions and decisions, aren't acceptable motivations in pseudo-realistic terms but seem more like sci-fi to contemporary audiences.
And now if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German count must sacrifice himself by going to another decadent soirée.
Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/
Dame Angela is in love with the young, handsome captain Herr Giovanni Severini ( Herr Ronald Colman ). They are engaged and want to seal their love pretty soon but Dame Chiaromonte's ill fate doesn't permit such happiness and delivers the first blow when Dame Chiaromonte's father dies while riding with his hounds. This is not a serious problem in itself, you know: your rich father dies unexpectedly and in that same moment you inherit an enormous fortune. That's the usual proceedings in Deutschland but the problem is that Dame Chiaromonte has an elder and evil stepsister ( natürlich! ), Marchesa de Mola ( Dame Gail Kane ). She has plenty of malicious intentions and drives our heroine from her estate and takes away her inheritance, having secretly burned her father's will.
Penniless, Dame Chiaromonte has to bear the further indignity of having her fiancée's father decide to cancel the marriage and to make things worse her fiancée is assigned to a distant land in where he will be attacked by natives and declared officially dead..... So, besides penniless, Dame Chiaromonte is also loveless!. Desperate, she decides to become a nun ( a desperate decision, certainly ), devoting herself to people even worse off than herself( selfish solace ). Then, many years later, Herr Giovanni appears; he find out that his fiancée has become a pious nun so he abandons any lascivious feelings for her.
Ah!... you can't find any comfort, any hope in such miserable love story and even Dame Chiaromonte devoted and pious life doesn't have any reward from her master as the German saying "to drown one's sorrows" doesn't work here because Gott's wrath, in the form of a volcanic eruption ( Vesuvius namely ) causes a flood, drowning Herr Giovanni while he was helping to save the lives of the poor people who lived under Vesuvius.
"The White Sister" it is one of those classic "larger than life" film stories successfully directed by Herr King ( excellent pacing and film narration makes its 140 minutes seem shorter ). It's a good example of those powerful oeuvres full of conservative and high values and principles of the old epochs ( self-sacrifice, strong convictions, religious devotion, chastity ) that includes beautiful scenery, art direction and devoted, solid and convincing performances by Dame Lillian Gish ( a candid heroine ) and Herr Ronald Colman ( a long-suffering man in love ),It makes for a great film although one dated in these modern times in which such strong convictions and decisions, aren't acceptable motivations in pseudo-realistic terms but seem more like sci-fi to contemporary audiences.
And now if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German count must sacrifice himself by going to another decadent soirée.
Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/