Ein Tag in Bologna 1752 – Die Physikerin Laura Bassi is a docudrama which premiered in 2023. In October 2024, it was shown on German television (ZDF). It is an episode of the long-running program Terra X History.
It is about the life and career of the famous female Italian scientist Laura Maria Caterina Bassi Veratti, who lived and worked in Bologna for most of her life.
Here is some basic information about this docudrama:
** Director: Sigrun Laste
** Writer: Arne Peisker and Elin Carlsson
** Narrator: Mark Bremer
** Scientific advisor: Professor Dr Jutta Nowosadtko
** Language: German
** Subtitles: German
** Run time: 43 minutes
Several persons are interviewed in this docudrama
Here are the names of the participants
Listed in alphabetical order
** Dr Patrizia Busi
A librarian, Archiginnasio, Bologna
** Professor Beate Ceranski
A historian, University of Stuttgart
** Professor Emerita Luisa Cifarelli
A physicist, University of Bologna
** Professor Maria Teresa Guerrini
A historian, University of Bologna
** Professor Peter Heering
A physicist, University of Europe, Flensborg
** Dr Sofia Talas
A historian, University of Padua
** Professor Stefan Tenbohlen
Institute of High Tension, University of Stuttgart
Several historical moments in 1752 have been recreated by actors. Here the names of the two most important characters in the docudrama:
** Julia Goldberg plays the scientist
Laura Bassi (1711-1788)
** Eduards Johansons plays her husband
Giuseppe Veratti (1707-1793)
Laura Bassi was born in 1711. In 1738, she married Giuseppe Veratti who was a doctor of medicine.
The couple had several children. But the precise number of children is not known. According to some sources, the number is eight; according to other sources, the number is twelve.
Laura Bassi studied philosophy and the natural sciences. She was allowed to enter and study at the local university, even though women were usually not allowed to enter this institution.
In 1732, she was granted a doctoral degree. Later in that year, she became the first female professor at a university in Europe, perhaps in the whole world.
In that year, she was still young. She was only 21. It was an impressive feat. This is the reason why she is a famous person.
Laura focused more on scientific experiments than on scientific writing. This is why the number of scientific articles written by her is quite low.
She wrote many letters which have been preserved until our times. These letters show that she was in regular contact with members of the contemporary scientific community not only in Europe but also in the British colonies in America (the future USA).
While this film focuses on a single day in her life (Monday 21 August 1752), there is also some information about her life before and after that date.
One question about her legacy:
Was Laura Bassi a feminist?
The answer to this question is no.
She did not give speeches on feminism. She did not write articles about feminism. In fact, there was no feminist movement in the 18th century
But when we look at her life, we can see that she lived it like a feminist. She was a wife and a mother. But this was not all. She also had an education. And she used it to establish a career as a scientist and a scholar
She was a pioneer. She was a trailblazer. The women who came after her are grateful for what she did
What do reviewers say about this film?
This question is not easy to answer
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The topic is important. The story deserves to be told, and in this docudrama, it is done very well.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
REFERENCES
The story of her life and her role as a female scientist is the subject of several books. Here are some examples:
Laura Bassi and Science in 18th Century Europe:
The Extraordinary Life and Role of
Italy’s Pioneering Female Professor
By Monique Frize
(2013)
Breaking Barriers:
A Novel Based on the Life of Laura Bassi
By Jule Selbo
(2020)
Laura Bassi – The World’s First Woman Professor in Natural Philosophy: An Iconic Physicist in Enlightenment Italy
Edited by Luisa Cifarelli and Raffaella Simili
(2020)
*****
Laura Bassi and Science
in 18th century Europe:
The Extraordinary Life and Role of
Italy's Pioneering Female Professor
By Monique Frize
(2013)
*****
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