Cinema of Italy: The Golden Age (1910-1914)

Those colossals were directed by Mario Caserini (“Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei”, 1913), Enrico Guazzone (“Marc Anthony and Cleopatra”, 1913) and most notably Giovanni Pastrone, who in 1914 directed the famous “Cabiria”, with the honor of being shown as a premiere at the White House in front of the President of United States and his staff. Between 1910 and 1914 the Italian cinema became popular around the world with unexpected success, thanks to historical and religious colossals directed by Mario Caserini (“Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei”, 1913), Enrico Guazzone (“Marc Anthony and Cleopatra”, 1913) and most notably Giovanni Pastrone, who in 1914 directed the famous “Cabiria”, with the honor of being shown as a premiere at the White House in front of the President of United States and his staff.
Enrico Guazzone’s 1912 film Quo Vadis was one of the earliest “blockbusters” in cinema history, utilizing thousands of extras and a lavish set design. Giovanni Pastrone’s 1914 film Cabiria was an even larger production, requiring two years and a record budget to produce. Nino Martoglio’s Lost in Darkness, also produced in 1914, documented life in the slums of Naples, and is considered a precursor to the Neorealist movement of the 1940s and 1950s.