Tilde Kassay, born Matilde Cassai (1887-1964), was an Italian silent film actress between 1915 and 1921. Most of her films are considered lost, but sometimes a wonder happens.
![Tilde Kassay]()
Italian postcard by Ed. A. Traldi, Milano, no. 313. Photo: Pinto, Rome.
![Tilde Kassay]()
Italian postcard by Ed. G. Vettori, Bologna.
![Tilde Kassay]()
Italian postcard, no. 91. Ed. unknown. Photo: Pinto, Rome.
Born in Modena, Italy, in 1887, Matilde Kassay was the daughter of Massimiliano Cassai, and the third of four brothers and sisters: Anna, Caterina (known as Tina, also an actress), Matilde and Gaetano.
Tilde's film career took off in 1915 in Naples at the company Polifilms. Probably her first film was the war propaganda film Savoia, urrah!/Savoia, hurray! (Eduardo Bencivenga, 1915).
From 1917, Tilde Kassay acted at the Roman company Caesar Film. Between 1915 and 1921 she played in 17 films directed by the greatest directors of the time, in particular Camillo De Riso, Gustavo Serena, and Giulio Antamoro.
Of Kassay's films, Il cieco/The Blind Man (1919), directed by Edoardo Bencivenga, is preserved in the Archive of the Cineteca Nazionale in Rome. In this film, a husband (Livio Pavanelli), blinded during a hunting party, suspects that his wife (Kassay) has an affair with another man (Giovanni Schettini), who courts her.
The husband first wants to kill his rival, then decides to kill himself but makes a mistake, which returns him his sight and his beloved. While the press didn't like the supporting actors, Pavanelli and Kassay were praised.
![Tilde Kassay in Nanà]()
Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperial, no. 1 (in a series of 18 chromos). Photo: Caesar Film, distr. in Catalonia by J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Tilde Kassay in Una donna funesta/Nanà (Camillo De Riso, 1917-1919).
![Tilde Kassay in Nanà]()
Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperial, no. 3 (in a series of 18 chromos). Photo: Caesar Film, distr. in Catalonia by J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Tilde Kassay in Una donna funesta/Nanà (Camillo De Riso, 1917-1919).
The other films with Tilde Kassay have probably gone lost. However, sometimes a wonder happens. In 2016 the film Una donna funesta/Nanà (1919), adapted from Emile Zola's classic novel 'Nanà' and presented abroad under the title of the novel, was rediscovered. The film, co-starring Camillo De Riso, Gustavo Serena, and Lido Manetti, was shown at the Giornate del Cinema Muto in Pordenone, Italy.
At its original release, the film had bad luck. Already in 1917 producer Barattolo and director Camillo De Riso had made the film, but just before the first night in Milan it was withdrawn from circulation as it was considered 'only for adults'. This caused a scandal and Barattolo had to withdraw the film.
He arranged a softened version, lifted any reference to Zola, and gave the film a happy ending instead of the original tragic ending of Nanà. Still, the Italian censor was not yet satisfied and demanded a series of cuts of too suggestive intertitles and images.
Eventually, the press criticised the now very free adaptation. Abroad, a much less censured version circulated, as Spanish collector cards of the film suggest. This is also confirmed in the found and restored version, from Buenos Aires, which is the 1917 version and not the censored 1919 version. The 1917 version is much closer to Zola's novel.
Kassay's last film was Diana Sorel (Gustavo Serena, 1921), in which she played the title role, opposite Gustavo Serena and others.
In Naples Kassay married Luigi DB Stolte (1885-1967), a business entrepreneur, among the founding members of the Naples Nautical Club. They had a son, who died prematurely.
Tilde Kassay passed away in Naples in 1964.
![Tilde Kassay in Nanà]()
Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperial, no. 10 (in a series of 18 chromos). Photo: Caesar Film, distr. in Catalonia by J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Tilde Kassay in Una donna funesta/Nanà (Camillo De Riso, 1917-1919).
![Tilde Kassay in Nanà]()
Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperial, no. 16 (in a series of 18 chromos). Photo: Caesar Film, distr. in Catalonia by J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Tilde Kassay in Una donna funesta/Nanà (Camillo De Riso, 1917-1919).
![Tilde Kassay in Nana]()
Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperial, no. 17 (in a series of 18 chromos). Photo: Caesar Film, distr. in Catalonia by J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Tilde Kassay in Una donna funesta/Nanà (Camillo De Riso, 1917-1919).
Sources: Wikipedia (Italian) and IMDb. Watch YouTube for the Pordenone screening of Nanà.
Italian postcard by Ed. A. Traldi, Milano, no. 313. Photo: Pinto, Rome.
Italian postcard by Ed. G. Vettori, Bologna.
Italian postcard, no. 91. Ed. unknown. Photo: Pinto, Rome.
Directed by the greatest directors of the time
Born in Modena, Italy, in 1887, Matilde Kassay was the daughter of Massimiliano Cassai, and the third of four brothers and sisters: Anna, Caterina (known as Tina, also an actress), Matilde and Gaetano.
Tilde's film career took off in 1915 in Naples at the company Polifilms. Probably her first film was the war propaganda film Savoia, urrah!/Savoia, hurray! (Eduardo Bencivenga, 1915).
From 1917, Tilde Kassay acted at the Roman company Caesar Film. Between 1915 and 1921 she played in 17 films directed by the greatest directors of the time, in particular Camillo De Riso, Gustavo Serena, and Giulio Antamoro.
Of Kassay's films, Il cieco/The Blind Man (1919), directed by Edoardo Bencivenga, is preserved in the Archive of the Cineteca Nazionale in Rome. In this film, a husband (Livio Pavanelli), blinded during a hunting party, suspects that his wife (Kassay) has an affair with another man (Giovanni Schettini), who courts her.
The husband first wants to kill his rival, then decides to kill himself but makes a mistake, which returns him his sight and his beloved. While the press didn't like the supporting actors, Pavanelli and Kassay were praised.
Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperial, no. 1 (in a series of 18 chromos). Photo: Caesar Film, distr. in Catalonia by J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Tilde Kassay in Una donna funesta/Nanà (Camillo De Riso, 1917-1919).
Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperial, no. 3 (in a series of 18 chromos). Photo: Caesar Film, distr. in Catalonia by J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Tilde Kassay in Una donna funesta/Nanà (Camillo De Riso, 1917-1919).
Considered only for adults
The other films with Tilde Kassay have probably gone lost. However, sometimes a wonder happens. In 2016 the film Una donna funesta/Nanà (1919), adapted from Emile Zola's classic novel 'Nanà' and presented abroad under the title of the novel, was rediscovered. The film, co-starring Camillo De Riso, Gustavo Serena, and Lido Manetti, was shown at the Giornate del Cinema Muto in Pordenone, Italy.
At its original release, the film had bad luck. Already in 1917 producer Barattolo and director Camillo De Riso had made the film, but just before the first night in Milan it was withdrawn from circulation as it was considered 'only for adults'. This caused a scandal and Barattolo had to withdraw the film.
He arranged a softened version, lifted any reference to Zola, and gave the film a happy ending instead of the original tragic ending of Nanà. Still, the Italian censor was not yet satisfied and demanded a series of cuts of too suggestive intertitles and images.
Eventually, the press criticised the now very free adaptation. Abroad, a much less censured version circulated, as Spanish collector cards of the film suggest. This is also confirmed in the found and restored version, from Buenos Aires, which is the 1917 version and not the censored 1919 version. The 1917 version is much closer to Zola's novel.
Kassay's last film was Diana Sorel (Gustavo Serena, 1921), in which she played the title role, opposite Gustavo Serena and others.
In Naples Kassay married Luigi DB Stolte (1885-1967), a business entrepreneur, among the founding members of the Naples Nautical Club. They had a son, who died prematurely.
Tilde Kassay passed away in Naples in 1964.
Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperial, no. 10 (in a series of 18 chromos). Photo: Caesar Film, distr. in Catalonia by J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Tilde Kassay in Una donna funesta/Nanà (Camillo De Riso, 1917-1919).
Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperial, no. 16 (in a series of 18 chromos). Photo: Caesar Film, distr. in Catalonia by J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Tilde Kassay in Una donna funesta/Nanà (Camillo De Riso, 1917-1919).
Spanish collectors card by Chocolat Imperial, no. 17 (in a series of 18 chromos). Photo: Caesar Film, distr. in Catalonia by J. Gurgui, Barcelona. Tilde Kassay in Una donna funesta/Nanà (Camillo De Riso, 1917-1919).
Sources: Wikipedia (Italian) and IMDb. Watch YouTube for the Pordenone screening of Nanà.