The Giant of the Dolomites

A young girl, pursued by a band of conspirators, hides in a movie theatre where she watches the film Cabiria. She determines to seek the aid of that film's strongman, Maciste. When she locates him, he helps her overcome her enemies, but not without many thrilling and dangerous adventures.

A soldier of near-superhuman strength fights battles in the First World War and wages a private war to rescue a young woman from the castle where she is imprisoned.

Maciste, for the first time, suddenly discovers to be in love. The object of his love is Ada, the daughter of Thompson, an enlightened industrialist persecuted by Bethel, a competitor without scruples. He first makes use of a small group of agitators in order to foment the workers, then he tries to affect his loved ones, kidnapping his daughter. But he hasn’t squared things up with Maciste. In Maciste innamorato private and politic life interlace and condition each other. Maciste, a new popular hero, acts in advance of his time and sees himself as a media idol: after punishing the instigators, the crowd will recognize him as a movie star and promptly forget their claims carrying him shoulder-high. A hero, though, doomed to an unhappy love.

The most explosive and surreal episode of the Maciste series in which we see the hero up against the hardships of the average man: stress, women and cars. The Itala studios are in a disorderly state, the crew watches Maciste in the courtyard as he happily darts around in his new car, a single seater renamed Diattolina in honor of the car maker Diatto, the film’s “sponsor”. Maciste is happy; he caresses the car and talks about his vehicle as if it were his bride. The only thing missing is the honeymoon. But peace and tranquility are not easy to come by: in every corner of the country Maciste is recognized as a generous film star. Waiters, salesmen, passersby and little kids: everyone has a problem for him. Who said something about relaxing? An abandoned castle looks like a peaceful place, but Maciste has not met the wild American girl hiding in the cellar…

Maciste takes advantage again of a break of acting in order to wash away injustice and castigate the wicked, this time in the name of dynastic legitimacy. Otis, the prince of Sirdagna kingdom, lives undercover in a foreign land, waiting to ascend the throne; Stanos the evil ruler though, is willing to do anything in order to prevent the legitimate prince installation. The court is a dangerous place, Otis is young and naïf: in order to solve the situation, Maciste, following the advice of his friend Saetta, temporarily takes Otis’s place, and presents himself as the legitimate prince. The crowd, enamored by his good looks, applauds him immediately as the emperor.

The devil takes Maciste down to hell in an attempt to corrupt and ruin his morality.

Bartolomeo Pagano as Maciste in Maciste in the Lions' Den. A Italian silent from 1926.

A tenor falls in love with a stage actress then leaves her without knowing about her pregnancy.

A countess, discovering that a painting of her provocatively dressed as Salome by the artist Osvaldo Mars is to be publicly exhibited, slashes the canvas. When he is found dead soon afterwards she is suspected of his murder.

During the first Napoleonic expedition into Italy, Thibaud is seriously injured before being caught up in a mystery involving his wife, her rightful inheritance and his own daughter's happiness.

A man and a woman love each other, but they can’t marry because he’s ashamed of his unjustly incarcerated mother. What’s more, he loses his eyesight in an accident.

After she inherits a huge sum of money, a girl suddenly leaves a working-class man that she previously used to fancy.

Bartolomeo Pagano as Maciste in Maciste in the Lions' Den. A Italian silent from 1926.

In Italy, in 1736, Pergolese is in love with Maria. But Maria's brother, Count Raniero, forbids his sister to marry a modest composer. Pergolese kidnaps the young girl, but they are caught. Maria is locked up in her castle while Pergolese dies in the convent that takes him in.

A biopic of soprano Maria Malibran (1808–1836). A beautiful singer, Maria Malibran, is forced to turn to the stage after her husband takes to gambling, and goes to Paris where she falls in love with a famous violinist. When her money-seeking husband reappears, the couple go to London, where they find happiness. A composer falls in love with Maria but when his affections are unrequited, he becomes broken, takes to drinking and dies.