Filibus
The mysterious air pirate Filibus steals from the rich and then retreats to the safety of her airship, which is manned by a staff of mask-wearing lackeys who instantly obey her every command. When an esteemed detective sets out to investigate the thefts, Filibus attempts to frame him as the burglar, while also slipping between male and female disguises to romance the detective's sister.
From the archive
I've been researching newly public domain films from 1929 and earlier, along with other pictures of the era that I find interesting, so I'm uploading the best possible copies that I can find. This pioneering sci-fi/steampunk film follows jewel thief and disguise-master Filibus, as she grapples with a detective on her trail. She utilizes cross-dressing, an air ship, and even romancing the sister of the detective to get away with her crimes. Modern viewers praise the timeless themes and the uniqueness of Filibus as a character. One international film festival called her probably one of the first lesbian characters ever, while another stated that Filibus might be an early example of a gender-fluid character. Unfortunately, some reviewers have also noted that the plot seems disjointed at times.
Why this is free to watch
Filibus (1915) is hosted by the Internet Archive as a public-domain or openly licensed work, which means its copyright has expired, lapsed, or was released by the rights holder. The uploader declared an explicit licence, linked in the source panel. Nitrate streams the file directly from the Archive and hosts no video itself.
- Director
- Mario Roncoroni
- Starring
- Valeria Creti, Cristina Ruspoli, Giovanni Spano, Mario Mariani, Filippo Vallino
Player shortcuts
- Space Play / pause
- ← → Skip 10s
- ↑ ↓ Volume
- M Mute
- F Fullscreen
- 0–9 Jump to %
