AllMovie

During the silent period, a surprising number of opera stars found themselves starring in movies, especially in Europe, and while the voices that were their fortune could not be heard, their hyper-emotional histrionics often communicated with unusual power on the big screen. Filmmaker Peter Delpeut, who previously examined the mysterious and otherworldly images of early cinema in Lyrical Nitrate, has compiled footage from a dozen operatic silents released between 1913 and 1920 in his feature Diva Dolorosa. Edited for emotional and visual impact rather than narrative clarity, Diva Dolorosa features vintage performances from such singing stars as Lyda Borelli, Pina Meichelli, and Francesca Bertini. The film also boasts an original score by Loek Dikker, which was performed with a live orchestra for the film's world premiere at the 1999 Holland Film Festival.