Francesca Bertini

Francesca Bertini (born Elena Seracini Vitiello; 5 January 1892 – 13 October 1985) was an Italian silent film actress. She was one of the most successful silent film stars in the first quarter of the twentieth-century.

Early life Born Elena Seracini Vitiello in Prato, her mother was the unmarried Adelina di Venanzio Fratiglioni, who may have been an actress. Bertini was registered as Elena Taddei at an orphanage in 1892. Her mother married Arturo Vitiello in 1910. She took his family name.

Career Bertini began performing on stages and at the age of seventeen she began to perform in the just-born Italian movie production. She had a major role in Salvatore Di Giacomo's melodramatic story Assunta Spina.

She had made over 50 films by 1915 Fox Film Corporation in Hollywood offered to sign a contract with her, but she refused: she was married to the wealthy Swiss banker Paul Cartier and wanted to move with him to Switzerland. When her husband died, she moved back to Rome, where she would remain until her death.

She stepped into sound movies as well, but in the meantime the Italian cinema had changed greatly (the period of Telefoni bianchi comedies) and entered into a period of crisis with fascism and censorship. It experienced a definite hiatus with World War II.

Later years In 1974 Bernardo Bertolucci was able to convince her to emerge from her stubborn silence, accepting a role of a nun in his movie Novecento. She allowed herself to be interviewed in 1981 and this was adapted for a three part TV documentary in 1982. She died in Rome at the age of 93.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1908 La dea del mare Film debutLost film 1910 The Troubadour (orig. Il trovatore) Short filmLost film 1910 Salomè Young slave Short film 1910 Folchetto di Narbona Short filmLost film 1910 Pia de' Tolomei Short film 1910 La morte civile Short film 1910 Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia 1910 King Lear (orig. Re Lear) Cordelia Short film 1910 Francesca da Rimini Short film 1910 Il mercante di Venezia Short film 1911 Cola di Rienzo Clelia Short film 1911 Tristan and Isolde (orig. Tristano e Isotta) Isolda Short film 1911 The Countess of Challant (orig. La contessa di Challant e Don Pedro di Cordova) Countess de Challant Short film 1911 Hernani (orig. Ernani) Doña Sol Short filmLost film 1911 Marco Visconti Short film 1911 Manon Lescaut 1911 The Plot of Fieschi (orig. La congiura di Fieschi) Short film 1911 Lorenzaccio 1912 Florentine Drama (orig. Un dramma a Firenze) Elisabetta Marmorai Short film 1912 Romeo and Juliet (orig. Romeo e Giulietta) Giulietta 1912 Beatrix d'Este (orig. Beatrice d'Este) Beatrix d'Este Short film 1912 The Wandering Minstrel (orig. Suonatori ambulanti) Short filmLost film 1912 Ruy Blas Short filmLost film 1912 The Red Falcon (orig. Il falco rosso) 1912 The Carbonari (orig. I carbonari) 1912 Tragedy at the Court of Milan (orig. Una tragedia alla corte di Milano) 1912 Un amore di Pietro de' Medici Margherita Short filmLost film 1912 Rameses, King of Egypt (orig. La rosa di Tebe) Selime detta la rosa di Tebe Lost film 1912 Cesare Borgia Short filmRole unconfirmed 1912 Il fascino della violenza Short film 1912 All on a Summer's Day (orig. Le due scommesse) Short filmLost film 1912 Il pappagallo della zia Berta Role unconfirmed 1912 Ritratto dell'amata Short film 1912 Tragic Flirtation (orig. Tragico amore) Short filmLost film 1912 L'avvoltoio Maria 1912 Panne d'auto Short film 1912 Tears and Smiles (orig. Lacrime e sorrisi) Short filmLost film 1912 Idillio tragico 1912 Supreme Sacrifice (orig. Per la sua gioia) Short film 1912 Lucrezia Borgia 1912 Primavera ed autunno Lost film 1913 The Bondage of Evil (orig. In faccia al destino) La modista Elena Short film 1913 Per il blasone Short filmLost film 1913 Il diavolo e l'acqua santa Lost film 1913 The Price of Silence (orig. La cricca dorata) Elena Molinari Short filmLost film 1913 Ninì Verbena Ninì Verbena Lost film 1913 The Land of Promise (orig. La terra promessa) Betty Reed 1913 L'ultima carta Short filmLost film 1913 Venomous Tongues (orig. Il veleno delle parole) 1913 La maestrina Short film 1913 Broken Idol a.k.a. The Artist's Model (orig. Idolo infranto) La pastorelle Francesca 1913 Tramonto Lost film 1913 His Symphony (orig. La gloria) La Principessa Louise Short filmLost film 1913 La suocera Short film 1913 Vigilia di Natale Short filmLost film 1913 The Forbidden Trail (orig. La donna altrui) Franca Short filmLost film 1913 Il filo di perle Lost film 1913 La bufera Maria 1913 L'arrivista 1913 L'arma dei vigliacchi La maestra Noemi Lost film 1913 L'anima del demi-monde 1914 Pierrot the Prodigal (orig. L'Histoire d'un Pierrot) Pierrot 1914 The Woman Who Dared (orig. L'amazzone mascherata) Countess Franca De Roberti 1914 Cabiria 1914 L'onestà che uccide Short filmLost film 1914 Rose e spine 1914 La principessa straniera Lost film 1914 On Temptation's Trail Short film 1914 Blue Blood (orig. Sangue Blu) La principessa Elena di Monte Cabello 1914 The Song of the Soul (orig. La canzone di Werner) Lost film 1914 Una donna 1915 Nelly the gigolette, or the dancer of the black tavern (orig. Nelly La Gigolette) Nelly Lost film 1915 Hypocrites Aristocratic Woman Uncredited role 1915 Nella fornace Elena Duroc Lost filmAlso Screenwriter 1915 Il capestro degli Asburgo La fidanzata di Guglielmo Lost film 1915 Ivonne, la bella danzatrice La contessina Edith / Ivonne, la bella della danza brutale Lost film 1915 The Lady of the Camellias (orig. La signora delle camelie) Margherita Gauthier 1915 Assunta Spina Assunta Spina Also director 1915 Don Pietro Caruso Lost film 1915 Diana the Seductress (orig. Diana, l'affascinatrice) Diana 1916 Odette Odette 1916 La perla del cinema Zingarella Lost filmAlso Screenwriter 1916 La colpa altrui Lost film 1916 Eroismo d'amore Short filmLost film 1916 Il destino 1916 Lacrymae rerum Lost film 1916 Vittima dell'ideale 1916 Nel gorgo della vita 1916 Maligno riflesso 1916 L'educanda monella a.k.a. Baby l'indiavolata Lost filmAlso Screenwriter 1916 Il patto 1916 Fedora Fedora 1917 Andreina Andreina – contessa di Toeplitz Lost film 1917 La piccola fonte Teresa Lost film 1917 The Clemenceau Affair (orig. Il processo Clémenceau) Iza 1917 Malìa Liliana di Sant'Elmo Lost film 1917 Anima redenta 1918 Tosca Floria Tosca 1918 Frou-frou Gilberta Sartorys detta Frou – Frou 1918 Mariute Francesca Bertini / La contadina Mariute Short filmAlso producer 1918 La gola Comtessa Frescalinda Ciufettino Part 1 of serial I sette peccati capitaliAlso producer 1918 L'Orgoglio a.k.a. Superbia Erminia de Beaumesnil Part 2 of serial I sette peccati capitaliAlso producer 1918 L'ira Elena Part 3 of serial I sette peccati capitaliAlso producer 1918 L'avarizia Maria Lorini Part 4 of serial I sette peccati capitaliAlso producer 1918 Eugenia Grandet 1919 L'invidia Lelia di Santa Croce Part 5 of serial I sette peccati capitaliAlso producer 1919 L'accidia Bianca Fanello Part 6 of serial I sette peccati capitaliAlso producer 1919 His Friend's Wife (orig. Spiritismo) Simone Also producer 1919 La lussuria Magdalena Dutertre Part 7 of serial I sette peccati capitaliAlso producer 1919 The Octopus (orig. La Piovra) Daria Oblosky Also producer 1919 The Cheerful Soul (orig. Anima allegra) Also producer 1919 Countess Sarah (orig. La contessa Sara) Sara Short filmAlso producer 1919 The Conqueror of the World (orig. Il conquistadore del mondo) 1919 Beatrice a.k.a. The Stronger Passion 1920 The Serpent a.k.a. The Poison Mood (orig. La serpe) Also producer 1920 Princess Giorgio Lost film Also producer 1920 The Fall of the Curtain (orig. Lisa Fleuron) Lost film Also producer 1920 The Shadow (orig. L'ombra) Lost film Also producer 1920 The Sphinx (orig. La sfinge) Also producer 1920 Marion (orig. Marion, artista di caffè-concerto) Marion Also producer 1920 Maddalena Ferat Maddalena Ferat Also producer 1920 La ferita Lost film Also producer 1920 Anima selvaggia 1920 Amore di donna 1921 Oltre la legge 1921 The Girl from Amalfi (orig. La fanciulla di Amalfi 1921 La donna, il diavolo, il tempo 1921 Amore vince sempre 1921 The Knot (orig. Il nodo) Also producer 1921 The Last Dream (orig. Ultimo sogno) Maria Lost film Also producer 1922 The Nude Woman (orig. La donna nuda) Lolette Lost film Also producer 1922 Fatale bellezza Lost film Also producer 1924 The Youth of the Devil (orig. La giovinezza del diavolo) La vecchia duchessa / Fausta Lost film Also producer 1925 Fior di levante Lost film Also producer 1925 Consuelita Consuelita Also producer 1927 La Fin De Monte Carlo Cora de Marsa Lost film 1928 Odette (orig. Mein Leben für das Deine) Odette 1929 La Possession Jessie Cordier Lost film 1929 Tu M'Appartiens! Gisele 1931 La Femme d'une nuit La princesse Hélène de Lystrie French-language version of La donna di una notteLost film 1931 La donna di una notte La principessa Elena di Lystria Italian-language version of La Femme d'une nuitLost film 1934 Odette (orig. Mein Leben für das Deine) Odette Lost film 1943 Dora, la espía La principessa 1957 A sud niente di nuovo 1969 Una ragazza di Praga Gabriela 1976 1900 (orig. Novocento) Sister Desolata Final film role 1982 Behind the Screen: Stories of Cinema – The Last Diva (orig. L'ultima diva: Francesca Bertini) Herself TV movie documentary