Lyda Borelli
Actor
Biography
Lyda Borelli (22 March 1884 - 2 June 1959) was an Italian actress, her career in theatre started in 1902.
Between 1913 and 1918 Borelli made 14 films and appeared in 2 documentaries. She often portrayed vamps who end up committing suicide via poison. Her acting was mainly based on excessive gestures, painful expressions and languid gazes. Antonio Gramsci, who, in 1917 worked as a theatre reviewer, criticised her stating she represented a heightened form of sensuality, "a part of a primordial and prehistoric humanity" that had managed to cast a spell on the audience.
Filmography
Love Everlasting
as Elsa Holbein 1913
Malombra
as Marina di Malombra 1917
Carnevalesca
1918
The Suitcase of Dreams
1953
Madame Guillotine
as Madame Tallien 1916
Diva Dolorosa
1999
Flower of Evil
as Lyda 1915
Lyrical Nitrate
as (archive footage) 1991
The Naked Truth
as Lolette 1914
The Thirteenth Man
1917
La memoria dell'altro
as Lyda 1913
The Wedding March
as Grazia di Plessans 1915
La falena
as Thea di Marlievo 1916
The Legend of Saint Barbara
as Saint Barbara 1918
Una Notte a Calcutta
1918