A melodrama from the fascist years ,with a strong nationalist feel;the last pictures are revealing: if Luisa can finally overcome her awful pain ,it's because she has a reason to live now: freedom for her country,independence and a husband who is going to fight for it.
The old marchioness and her late husband's (lost?) will are clichés of melodrama: there's also the same situation in Raffaello Nazzari 's "I Figli Di Nessuno" in the following decade .But many things betray the ideology of the times:Franco could sue his grandma cause he has recovered the testament but he does not want to,because it would be a slur on the dowager's reputation and "she is my father's mother";the family's honor is at stake .On the contrary,Luisa is a weak woman ,and ,as an inferior (both as a woman and as a social figure),she cannot understand those noble feelings :she urges her husband to claim his fortune as his right,to no avail.And when the old aristocrat speaks of a divine chastisement ,when Ombretta gets drowned ,nobody seems to deny .
If we forget this dubious philosophy ,we must recognize that the cinematography is splendid,making a good use of the lake which plays a prominent part in the story;the three principals are excellent and Alida Valli was to become one of the best Italian actresses ever.
The old marchioness and her late husband's (lost?) will are clichés of melodrama: there's also the same situation in Raffaello Nazzari 's "I Figli Di Nessuno" in the following decade .But many things betray the ideology of the times:Franco could sue his grandma cause he has recovered the testament but he does not want to,because it would be a slur on the dowager's reputation and "she is my father's mother";the family's honor is at stake .On the contrary,Luisa is a weak woman ,and ,as an inferior (both as a woman and as a social figure),she cannot understand those noble feelings :she urges her husband to claim his fortune as his right,to no avail.And when the old aristocrat speaks of a divine chastisement ,when Ombretta gets drowned ,nobody seems to deny .
If we forget this dubious philosophy ,we must recognize that the cinematography is splendid,making a good use of the lake which plays a prominent part in the story;the three principals are excellent and Alida Valli was to become one of the best Italian actresses ever.