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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 859

Satanic Rhapsody

191745 minItaly
DramaFantasyHorror

Synopsis

An aging countess accepts renewed youth from Mephistopheles on the condition that she never fall in love. Two brothers become her admirers, and affection soon threatens the rule on which her restored beauty depends. Retreating into her castle cannot separate her from desire or from the figure waiting to enforce the agreement.

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Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: Italian.
This copy runs
44:31
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 · Nino Oxilia · Public domain

Cast

DirectorsNino Oxilia

Behind the scenes

Completed in 1915 and released in 1917, the film pairs Lyda Borelli's performance with a score composed by Pietro Mascagni. Its carefully arranged gestures, fabrics and landscapes connect the Faustian story with the visual culture of the Italian diva film.

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 creditsCineteca di Bologna — production and release history

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.

  • Lyda Borelli — Mario Nunes Vais; Collezione del Fondo Nunes Vais: http://www.fotografia.iccd.beniculturali.it/inventari/fondo/57 · Public domain

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