Gabriel Moreau

An early film depicting the life of Jesus Christ

"Tigre Reale" (1916) was the film that consolidated Frau Menichelli's stardom, a film more than suitable for her performing skills and silent idiosyncrasy that any silent diva would kill to star in… In "Tigre Reale", Frau Menichelli performs the part of Frau Natka, a Russian countess with a troublesome past and an uncertain future. She was married to a revolutionary and the matrimony ended in tragedy. She likes to flirt with men but due to her traumatic sentimental past, she doesn't allow herself attachments. That is until she meets a young diplomat who will help her to make up her mind and exorcize her old sentimental traumas.

Claudio is married to Cesarina, a frivolous and unfaithful woman. After the death of their only son their marriage is cold. While his wife lives her free life, Claudio is dedicated to the development of sophisticated weapons, elaborating the project of a new cannon; but smitten by the virtuous Jew Rebecca he can not surrender to his feelings because his religion prevents him from getting a divorce.

An old man, bell ringer at Notre Dame de Paris, disowns his daughter who has an affair with a young frivolous gentleman.

The film is a 35 meters long fragment, the remainder of a strongly decayed print, enough though to let us recognize the diva Pina Menichelli, here happy bride first and then melancholy loner. A sign on the print has allowed to identify it as the film “Gemma di Sant’Eremo”, a title that according to Vittorio Martinelli, reveals the reshaped version of “La colpa”, played two years before by the Italian diva and never distributed for censorship reasons.

A noble Roman, bored with his life, sees a slave dance and they fall in love. Before they can consummate their passion, his wife has the slave killed and he drinks the same poison as she.

A crime adventure of mistaken identity.