Filibus

Mario Roncoroni's 1915 Italian film follows a mysterious air pirate who steals from the rich. After each robbery Filibus returns to an airship crewed by masked servants, and tries to frame the celebrated detective on her trail as the thief. What stands out is the lead's identity. Filibus appears as a man, as a woman or as someone else according to the situation; disguise here is not a trick but the character itself. That is an unusual construction for the silent era. There are science fiction elements too; the airship, the lowering cables and the technical devices follow the adventure narratives of the period. The film was long unavailable and returned to circulation restored. Who it's for: those curious about silent cinema and early adventure films. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a modern narrative pace; the film is bound to the intertitles and staging of its era.