Za la Mort. Ritratto di Emilio Ghione

With Za la Mort, the apache of the Parisian underworld, Ghione constructed a sentimental and romantic character, whose feline charm, tenderness of heart, and intolerance of every form of injustice, resulted in fame and devoted affection from an audience keen on emotions. Ghione shared in the glorious heyday, as well as the decadent excesses of the era of silent cinema.

Vittorio Martinelli (1929-2008) is a cinema historian and the co-author, together with Aldo Bernardini, of the filmography of silent Italian cinema (21 volumes), he is also the author of numerous other works on directors, actors and important moments in the history of silent European cinema, including Gli uomini forti (Mazzotta, 1982), Leda Gys (Colisseum, 1986), Titanus (Colisseum, 1987), Il cinema di Augusto Genina (Biblioteca dell'immagine, 1990), Cuor d'oro e muscoli d'acciaio (Cineteca del Friuli, 2000), Le dive del silenzio (Le Mani/Cineteca di Bologna, 2001).