Una presenza giustificata? Le studentesse, la cinematografia, l’Italia fascista (1939-1943)

The article examines the quite significant number of films with a collegiate setting that were released in the years between the 1930s and 1940s. The protagonists of these films were young female students, who were played by equally young actresses such as Adriana Benetti, Carla Del Poggio, Irasema Dilian, Chiaretta Gelli, Lilia Silvi and, above all, Alida Valli. Starting from the analysis of the plots of these films, the article investigates the figure of the high school girl in fascist Italy, instituting a dialogue with the generational and gender models of the time, which are discussed in relation to the emergence of a commercial youth culture that identified the teenager as a precise target. The reflection is based on a reading of the major film periodicals of the time – focussing in particular on the roles of mediation and connection that they played between the young stars and their fans – and on an examination of the archives of Alida Valli and Lilia Silvi.