About

A presentation of two short Italian melodramas - both driven by mistaken identities, criminal scheming, and high passions. Due to the condition in which the prints were found, neither was able to be digitised in their entirety. However, they both provide fascinating insights into filmmaking styles at the time and have clear emotional cores which drive their drama.

The print of The Redeeming Angel was found almost entirely complete and in remarkably good quality. The short film is almost totally intact, with only a seemingly sudden ending giving away its previously vulnerable state.The Redeeming Angelfinds a couple in the aftermath of a fiery divorce. Due to the closure of their bank, the former wife, Ida, stops receiving her alimony and finds herself impoverished. As she is no longer able to afford to care for their infant daughter, she attempts to return their baby to her ex-husband. However, the infant's return is interrupted by a burglary attempt on her ex-husband's house. The film is beautifully shot, with a wide variety of locations and some wonderfully expressive performances. It is an engaging drama and a rare chance to see a rich production produced more than a century ago.

Roberto Roberti's Prisoner of the Owls is less complete. The short film appears to be missing a small amount of footage from the opening scene and there is a gap of what appears to be several scenes from the middle of the film. The broad narrative can be followed without issue but these gaps mean that some of the drama of the narrative is lost.

Nevertheless, Prisoner of the Owls remains a terrifically enjoyable experience to watch. At its core is a tragedy of forbidden love, driven by class hierarchies and the inescapable stain of a criminal past. Lord Wilmer, the wealthy father of Vera, forbids the marriage of his daughter to her love. That young man's father takes great offence at this rebuke and organises for his son's criminal friend to be introduced to Lord Wilmer as a Duke, in an attempt to his family's reputation by Vera's inadvertent marriage to a member of the criminal organisation, the Owls. At this point, the missing material from the film means there are some large holes in the narrative. However, the spectacle of the (literally) fiery conclusion means it remains a rousing ride all the way to the final frames.

Both films will feature live musical accompaniment from David Bailey on the Gallery's 1929 Wurlitzer organ.