Malombra is hosted on Como lake, in the palace of his uncle earl, with the agreement that she will leave the residence only after getting married. During his stay, Marina convinces himself to be the reincarnation of his predecessor who died segregated in the palace, and because of this injustice decides to implement a personal vendetta.
This is the second transposition on the big screen from Antonio Fogazzaro‘s novel.
The photograph, the space’s treatment and formal refinement are the best qualities of this movie, earning the nickname of "calligrafico", that is to make films in Italy during the fascist period.
So the authors that did not want to make propaganda movie and unable to make a protest movie, took refuge in disengaged stories, mostly set in the romantic era and with its careful attention to the stylistic codes and scenic composition. These films were often massacred by critics for absence of the social issues of that particular historical period.
This film has a great interest in photographic solutions: darkness invades constantly the scene, there are only lamps and candles, hold in the hands by the various protagonists, but rather than light they create sinister shadows that moved on the walls
The treatment of the beautiful landscape is often pictorial and functional to the story told. These beautiful images are accompanied by the wind that caresses the lake and moves the curtains.
