Matilda de Angelis plays Lydia the Poet in the new Italian series, Lydia lays down her own lawavailable February 15 on Netflix. netflix:
From February 15, the new series overshadowed all others on the American platform, including the last season you. Lydia lays down her own law tells the story of a pioneer of feminism fighting for her rights in conservative 19th-century Italy.
The French translation of its title may put some off. But from February 15, a new Italian series Lydia lays down her own lawAiring on Netflix, it is a hit with all audiences who venture out there. “Writer”, “exciting”, “necessary series”, we read in the comments. Inspired by the true story of Lydia Poe, the work chronicles her struggle to become a lawyer in late 19th century Italy. Starring Matilda de Angelis, David de Donatello Award for Best Actress 2021, the heroine confronts the homophobia of a profession created entirely by men who will go so far as to disqualify her. Back to pioneer history.
Feminist at heart
Born in 1855 to an upper-middle-class family, Lydia Poet was the youngest of eight siblings. This native of Perero, in the village of Traverso, began studying at the University of Law in Turin at the age of 23. Although talented in her field, she quickly came face to face with the sexism of the time, which inspired her to come up with a thesis about the status of women in society and women’s right to vote. It was with Cesare Bertea, a recent graduate and senator and lawyer, that he cut his teeth before being asked to join the Turin bar.
His story actually begins here. Because this request, exceptionally, being perceived as an insult, is enough to ignite the dust in the legal world. If a woman with ebony hair and fashionable dresses has proven her legitimacy through her work and self-sacrifice, she remains a prisoner of her condition. Although admitted to the Turin Bar Association, making her the first woman to be registered there, her status was reviewed on appeal at the request of the King’s Attorney General, who disbarred her. “If God wanted you to be a lawyer, he wouldn’t have made you a woman,” the argument goes.
A flawed attorney
Every era has its share of beliefs and myths. By the late 1880s, convictions were unanimous and all men were crying; a woman could not become a lawyer, advancing legal and biological arguments. Legally, because they are women and therefore cannot enjoy the same rights. Biological because their menstrual cycle “shuts down and paralyzes”. Understand. their periods will by nature not allow them to lead a quiet life and therefore make decisive and pragmatic decisions necessary for requests. Another argument put forward at that time. the presence of women, symbols of beauty and seduction, is an extremely dangerous distraction to the smooth running of proceedings in the courts.
Racketeering and penniless, Lydia Poet finds herself unable to pay her rent and relies on her brother Giovanni Enrico Poe, also a lawyer, to bail her out of trouble. In the shadows, she then works alongside him and specializes in protecting the rights of minors, marginalized people and women. If Enrico, not seeing very well that his little sister is practicing law, also expresses doubts about her legitimacy, in the end he is the one who will support her in the last appeal to the Court of Cassation. It is this family duo that is depicted in the six episodes that make up the series. Lydia lays down her own law.
Right to choose
It was not until 1919, at the end of the First World War, that Lydia Poet was finally able to enter the bar. On July 17, the Saatchi Law abolished the marriage license and finally allowed women to enter public service positions, except for the judiciary, politics, and the military. At the age of 65, she became the first female lawyer in Italy. In 1922, he became the chairman of the electoral commission for women. Lydia Poet cast her first vote in 1945, the year women were given full suffrage, at the age of 93, a year before her death. It’s a victoryItaly’s prima vocatessa“.
Source: Le Figaro
