La nave

Based on Gabriele D'Annunzio's play from 1908, and directed by his son Gabriellino, La nave is an epic spectacle in the tradition of Cabiria, and the scores of other historical extravaganzas that Italy produced in the teens and twenties. The story is set in Venice in the 6th century, and conerns the power struggle of two families for control of the city. World renowned ballerina, Ida Rubinstein, stars in the role of Basiliola, the daughter of the former ruler of the city. With her spindly frame and stylized body language, Rubinstein brings a fitfully otherworldly quality to the part, and the film incorporates several elaborate dances (D'Annunzio's play had been adapted as an operetta a few years previous to the produciton of the film, and Rubinstein had starred on stage).