Jon Mirsalis on Piano. In Malombra, a young woman (Borelli), while reading her mother's letters, discovers a family secret and begins to identify with the pain and anger of the mother, unjustly persecuted and driven to a lonely death by her uncle. A showcase for Lyda Borelli's graceful, supple acting that makes use of her whole body, in addition this melodrama offers madness, murder, atmosphere, and a wonderful pictorialism in outdoor landscape photography.