Emilio Ghione

Born in Turin, Emilio Ghione was the son of a minor painter, Celestino Ghione, and initially worked as a painter of miniatures.[1]

Ghione secured work in Turin's growing film industry in 1908, initially as a set-hand and stuntman, performing dangerous stunts involving falling from horses.[2] He began to play secondary roles in a variety of films, including the comedies of André Deed. Frustrated by the slow progress of his career, Ghione left Turin in 1911 to seek his fortune in Rome.

In Rome, Ghione quickly progressed to starring roles in films made by Cines and Celio-Film, such as Il poverello di assisi (St Francis on its British release).[3] Ghione then starred in a series of films alongside Francesca Bertini and Alberto Collo, including Histoire d'un Pierrot. Ghione directed his first film as actor-director, Il Circolo Nero, in 1913. Ghione became known for his success in directing the demanding divas of the period, including Lina Cavalieri, Francesca Bertini and Hesperia. However, Ghione was not entirely able to resist their demands - Francesca Bertini allegedly ordered the destruction of all the prints of Don Pietro Caruso because she did not like the outfits she wore in the film.[4]

In 1914, Ghione created the first film featuring his character Za La Mort, Nelly La Gigolette, which was a great success.[5] Following this success and his move to Tiber film, Ghione created a sequel called Za La Mort (1915), which developed the character and introduced a companion, Za La Vie, played by Kally Sambucini. Ghione created a total of thirteen Za La Mort feature films and three serial films between 1914 and 1924, many of which were very successful commercially.[6] The character of Za La Mort, a Parisian apache, was unstable throughout the series. In some films, Za La Mort was a cruel-hearted, murderous, seductive criminal, while in others he was a romantic, faithful, underworld avenger, similar to Louis Feuillade's Judex.[7] The Za La Mort series was mostly set in an imaginary Paris, with some episodes set in America and exotic tropical locations. Despite inconsistencies of plot and character and mostly negative critical reviews, Za La Morts exotic, exciting adventures captured the public imagination and Ghione became one of the most recognisable stars of the Italian silent cinema.[8] During the production of the Za La Mort series, Ghione continued to star in and direct a variety of films, including melodramas, adventure films and a biopic of Italian patriot Guglielmo Oberdan.

In the period 1919-1924, Ghione directed and starred in films for most of the major Italian film companies (including Lombardo (now known as Titanus) and other minor film companies. Ghione's decadent lifestyle and expensive habits left him nearly penniless when the Italian film industry collapsed in 1922.[9] In 1923, he left for Germany to make Zalamort – Der Traum der Zalavie with Fern Andra, but the film was a commercial failure, owing partially to the fact that it was extensively cut by the censors.[10]

Eventually, Ghione's own lack of funds and the commercial failure of several projects meant that he was no longer able to get the investment necessary to make his own film projects. Senza Padre (1924) was his last film as screenwriter, director and actor, and Ghione abandoned his last film project as a director, La Casa Errante, in 1927.[11]

Ghione then acted in several of the 'all-star' productions of 1925-1926, which failed to revive the dying Italian film industry.[12]

In 1926, Ghione launched a theatrical revue with Kally Sambucini and Alberto Collo and toured Italy performing sketches based on the Za La Mort films.[13]

• Il Circolo Nero (1913)
• Don Pietro Caruso (1914)
• Nelly La Gigolette (1914)
• Za La Mort (1915)
• Oberdan (1915)
• Anime Buie (1916)
• Il Triangolo Giallo (1917)
• I Topi Grigi (1918)
• Sua Eccellenza La Morte (1919)
• Dollari e Fracks (1919)
• Il castello di bronzo (1920)
• Senza pietà (1921)
• Quale dei due (1922), also known as Za La Mort contro Za La Mort
• La maga e il grifo (1922)
• Latest Night News (1924)
• Za La Mort (1924), known in Italy as L'incubo di Zalavie
• Senza Padre (1926)

• Come fu che l'ingordigia rovinò il Natale a Cretinetti (1910)[25]
• La Gerusalemme Liberata (1911)
• Broken Idol (1913)
• Pierrot the Prodigal (1913)
• Il Potere Sovrano (1916)
• The Fiery Cavalcade (1925)
• The Last Days of Pompeii (1926)

• Sposa nella morte! (1915) starring Lina Cavalieri
• La rosa di granata (1916), starring Lina Cavalieri