FILIBUS: THE MYSTERIOUS AIR PIRATE
Special Features: Live musical accompaniment by Donald Sosin and Joanna Seaton
"No other crime thriller compares to FILIBUS!" exclaimed a Corona Films ad in the April 1915 edition of the Italian film magazine La Vita Cinematografica — and for once the ballyhoo was correct. Directed by Mario Roncoroni and scripted by future science fiction author Giovanni Bertinetti, FILIBUS is the most exciting, witty, feminist, steampunk, cross-dressing aviatrix thriller you will ever see! Flying high above the clouds, her dirigible, Filibus, the mysterious sky pirate, is a master of disguise and the scourge of millionaires, banks and the police. Lowered in a gondola by her henchmen, Filibus steals from the rich and then mysteriously vanishes into the clouds. However, with the famed Detective Kutt-Hendy now on her trail, Filibus must up her game. Posing as the Baroness Troixmond, the jewel thief enters the local magistrate's office and volunteers to help catch elusive Filibus. The criminal, she announces, is none other than the detective himself! There follows a cat-and-mouse adventure that includes an ancient Egyptian statue of Bastet with glowing diamond eyes, knockout powder, mysterious handprints and a secret miniature camera. Filibus is a formidable opponent, who even cross-dresses and poses as the aristocratic Count de la Brive to court the detective's beautiful sister while plotting his downfall. (Note adapted from Milestone Films.) DIR Mario Roncoroni; SCR Giovanni Bertinetti. Italy, 1915, b&w, 70 min. Silent with English intertitles. NOT RATED
Restored by the Eye Filmmuseum. A Milestone Films release.
No AFI Member passes accepted.
Run Time: 70 Minutes
Opening Date: Saturday, November 09, 2019
Genre: Crime thriller