An elegant baroness literally descends from the sky from an airship to commit thefts by posing as a male. She calls herself "Filibus," and the mayhem she creates for the victims as well as law enforment produces an Italian film noted as being so far ahead of its time it's still amazes audiences today.
The short-lived Italian movie studio, Corona Film, released in March 1915 "Filibus," named after the main protagonist. Stylized in the manner of France's successful movie series "Fantomas," the female counterpart "Filibus" amps up the action by introducing a science fiction element in technology to the female lead's behavior. The baroness dresses up as a man while she's committing illegal acts and going incognito in male clothes in her public interactions. Some have labeled the actress, relatively unknown Valeria Creti, as playing the first lesbian "bad girl" character. Others have noted that she is the first cross-dresser and transgender to appear in cinema. Her genderfluidity allows the baroness to disguise herself to throw off a veteran detective hot on Filibus' criminal trail.
Corona Film promised five episodes in the film series, but two months later Italy entered War World One, a blow to that country's nascent film industry. Before the war was over, Corona went out of business and there was no follow-up to what had been promised as a first-rate crime series.
The short-lived Italian movie studio, Corona Film, released in March 1915 "Filibus," named after the main protagonist. Stylized in the manner of France's successful movie series "Fantomas," the female counterpart "Filibus" amps up the action by introducing a science fiction element in technology to the female lead's behavior. The baroness dresses up as a man while she's committing illegal acts and going incognito in male clothes in her public interactions. Some have labeled the actress, relatively unknown Valeria Creti, as playing the first lesbian "bad girl" character. Others have noted that she is the first cross-dresser and transgender to appear in cinema. Her genderfluidity allows the baroness to disguise herself to throw off a veteran detective hot on Filibus' criminal trail.
Corona Film promised five episodes in the film series, but two months later Italy entered War World One, a blow to that country's nascent film industry. Before the war was over, Corona went out of business and there was no follow-up to what had been promised as a first-rate crime series.