Ersilia Scalpellini

Well-respected Pompeiian Glaucus performs an act of kindness by purchasing Nydia, a blind slave being mistreated by her owner. Nydia falls in love with her new master, but he only has eyes for Ione. Ione in turn is lusted after by Arbace, an Egyptian high priest of Isis. When Nydia beseeches Isis for help in capturing Glaucus' heart, Arbace gives her a "love" potion-- an elixir made to drive Glaucus mad, securing Ione for himself. Ultimately, Mount Vesuvius will end their lives and seal their fates in a terrible, glorious eruption.

Maude, engaged to a doctor, was adopted years earlier by the president of an anti-alcoholic league. A Gypsy violinist falls in love with her, who, after having kidnapped and immobilized the girl's boyfriend, takes her to a villa and, to try to make her give in to his coaxing, has some gypsies offer her champagne.

I raggi “Z” has been irresistibly charming in every stage of its gradual rediscovery. A 15-minute fragment with lovely scenes of a snowy cityscape of Turin surfaced in the early 1990 at the CNC in Paris, and was then identified as Oca alla Colbert (Eleuterio Rodolfi, 1913), because of the seamstresses masquerading as geese. After additional discoveries we could screen 30 minutes of the same French version at the Cinema Ritrovato 2009, in the section dedicated to Gigetta and Rodolfi. The storyline gave away the correct identification of I raggi “Z”, a 1917 Ambrosio production, whose director remains unknown. But would any other Italian director than Rodolfi be able to create a comedy of such elegant, warm-hearted humour and enticing brio, and set the stage so well for Gigetta’s wonderful acting? (Mariann Lewinsky)