FILIBUS (1915) ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
D: Mario Roncoroni
Valeria Creti, Giovanni Spano, Cristina Ruspoli,
Mario Mariani, Filippo Vallino
A baroness with her own airship and a gift for disguise competes with a famous detective to unmask a notorious burglar named Filibus, the catch being that the burglar is the baroness herself. A title in the trailer from 2019 calls this "the 1915 Italian Feminist Steampunk Jewel Thief Cross-Dressing Aviatrix Thriller of the Year!" and that describes it pretty well. A lively, outlandish fantasy adventure with a playfully androgynous performance by Valeria Creti in the title role. With a nod to science fiction and a female protagonist who's bold, independent, resourceful and flexible in the area of gender roles, the film was years ahead of its time.
