Aquila nera

Pushkin's novel, unfinished at his death and given the title 'Dubrovsky' by his publisher, has here been given the inimitable Riccardo Freda treatment.

Apart from Freda's customarily splendid visual sense and sweeping camerawork, the three main ingredients here are pace, pace and pace. We are carried along from the outset by this thrilling tale as Vladimir wreaks revenge on the villainous Kirila who has dispossessed him and brought about his father's death whilst finding the time to fall in love with Kirila's daughter Mascia. One must overlook the occasional absurdity of course and we are expected to believe that by taking off his mask and donning a pair of spectacles our hero is able to transform himself from bandit to French teacher.

Vladimir is played by the young and handsome Rossano Brazzi and one is hardly surprised that Hollywood would eventually come to call.

The classy Irasema Dilián who plays Mascia, is probably best known for Bunuel's 'Wuthering Depths'. Gino Cervi, one of Italy's finest character actors, although totally miscast as a romantic swashbuckler in Freda's earlier 'Don Cesare di Bazan', is simply splendid here as Kirila and looks every inch a Russian. Good support from the young Rina Morelli and Paolo Stoppa, both of whom enjoyed long careers.

Freda filmed an exciting follow up five years later with Brazzi again in the lead and I would not hesitate to recommend William Dieterle's excellent remake of 1959 which is filmed in colour, has a larger budget and a longer running time which obviously allows for fuller characterisations. Dieterle himself plays Kirila and as Maschia we have the bonus of the divine Rosanna Schiaffino.

All three films have merit and I have opted to review Freda's original for the simple reason that no one else has thus far seen fit to do so.