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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 946

Pierrot the Prodigal

191458 minItaly
DramaRomance

Synopsis

Pierrot courts Louisette and begins a family with her, but his attachment gives way to a new infatuation. He leaves her and their child to follow the other woman. The consequences unfold over years, turning the familiar figure of the wandering lover into a story about abandonment, regret and the possibility of returning to those left behind.

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Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: Italian.
This copy runs
57:59
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: Italian. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Baldassare Negroni · Public domain

Cast

DirectorsBaldassarre Negroni

Behind the scenes

Francesca Bertini plays Pierrot in an adaptation of Fernand Beissier's pantomime. Gesture and the accompanying music were conceived as closely related parts of the performance, giving the film a connection to musical theater despite its lack of recorded dialogue.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and creditsFema La Rochelle — Histoire d'un PierrotNon solo dive — study of early Italian film performers

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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