IT
The mighty King of Babylon falls in love with a beautiful girl, ruthlessly tears her away from her lover, who is left wounded upon the ground, and carries her to his palace, where he seeks to will her affections, showering her with gifts of precious stones from his treasure chests. The heart-broken girl repulses all his overtures and dashes the jewels to the floor, and the infuriated monarch, incensed at her refusal to share his throne, orders her cast into the lions' den. An immense throng of his court followers are invited to witness the execution, but the expectant throng is dumbfounded when the ferocious beasts, instead of rending the victim to pieces, fawn upon her. A wave of superstitious awe sweeps through the gathering, who regard the incident as a miracle and believe that the girl is under the protection of the gods. The King's guards are overpowered and the girl released, and the monarch, by this time imbued with fear, pays homage to the maiden, who is restored to her lover.
Sep 1910
Well-respected Pompeiian Glaucus performs an act of kindness by purchasing Nydia, a blind slave being mistreated by her owner. Nydia falls in love with her new master, but he only has eyes for Ione. Ione in turn is lusted after by Arbace, an Egyptian high priest of Isis. When Nydia beseeches Isis for help in capturing Glaucus' heart, Arbace gives her a "love" potion-- an elixir made to drive Glaucus mad, securing Ione for himself. Ultimately, Mount Vesuvius will end their lives and seal their fates in a terrible, glorious eruption.
Aug 1913
Robinet disguises himself as a woman to get away from his girlfriend’s husband, and discovers the unexpected pleasures of public drag amidst mobs of flirtatious men. (MoMA)
Dec 1912
Hoping to please her, some children give their grandmother an electric lamp for her birthday, but the elderly lady does not intend to put the old oil lamp in the attic and tells the young people that the object has a huge value for her.
Tweedledum gets chased by police on bicycles.
Oct 1911
Early biopic of Dante. From the Cineteca Milano collection.
Feb 1913
Jan 1910
Pompeii 79AD, mere days before the Vesuvian eruption. Glaucus and Jone are in love with each other. Arbaces, the Egyptian High Priest, is determined to conquer Jone. Glaucus purchases Nydia, the blind and long-suffering slave. Nydia falls in love with Glaucus and asks Arbaces for his help. He gives her a potion to make Glaucus fall in love with her-- In fact, a poison which will cause violent insanity.
Dec 1908
Marcel Perez arrives at the holiday resort wearing a pith helmet and carrying enough luggage to hold supplies for a monthlong journey through hostile territory. It's a good idea for a comic who never met a flight of stairs he didn't fall down.
Oct 1912
Dame Eleonora Duse plays a poor woman who, incapable of raising and feed him, leaves her illegitimate son with foster parents. Before she leaves her boy, the woman gives to the child an amulet in order to protect him. The amulet will be the key to put him in connection with his old mother when the boy grows up.
Sep 1917
Jan 1912
Italian slapstick actor Robinet riding a bicycle.
Jul 1912
The 1914 Italian version of William Shakespeare's Othello.
May 1914
Roman emperor Nero is used to getting what he wants. He has grown tired of his wife Octavia, and has become infatuated with Poppea. He succeeds in making Poppea the new empress, but soon he faces opposition from an outraged populace. Informed of the danger of an imminent popular uprising, Nero orders to set fire to the city, which he watches from a terrace, rejoicing and playing his lyra.
Oct 1909
A fantasy film about the knight Parsifal, who has to protect the Holy Grail from wizards.
Nov 1912
A young man befriends a limping demon to get rid of a woman who's after him.
May 1910
Italian short drama
Jun 1910
Italian silent film
Nov 1910
A grandfather recalls how he and his wife met and fell in love during the Second Italian War of Independence.
Tweedledum wears his sister's new slit-skirt, and with a handsome wig and beautiful hat, causes a stir on the boulevard. His many admirers follow him around from place to place and even invade his parlor when he gets home. His sister puts them to rout with a stout broom and she and Tweedledum enjoy a hearty laugh over the joke.
Jul 1911