The Maciste Films of Italian Silent Cinema

Italian film star Bartolomeo Pagano's "Maciste" played a key role in his nation’s narratives of identity during World War I and after. Jacqueline Reich traces the racial, class, and national transformations undergone by this Italian strongman from African slave in Cabiria (1914), his first film, to bourgeois gentleman, to Alpine soldier of the Great War, to colonial officer in Italy's African adventures. Reich reveals Maciste as a figure who both reflected classical ideals of masculine beauty and virility (later taken up by Mussolini and used for political purposes) and embodied the model Italian citizen. The 12 films at the center of the book, recently restored and newly accessible to a wider public, together with relevant extra-cinematic materials, provide a rich resource for understanding the spread of discourses on masculinity, and national and racial identities during a turbulent period in Italian history. The volume includes an illustrated appendix documenting the restoration and preservation of these cinematic treasures. Introduction: Why Maciste? -- The Birth Of The Strongman: Italian Silent Cinema, Stardom, And Genre -- From Slave To Master: Cabiria (1914) And Maciste (1915) -- Maciste Goes To War: Maciste Alpino (1916) -- Over There: The Maciste Series, World War I, And American Film Culture -- Love, Labor, And Leadership: The Maciste Series And Modernity, 1919-1922 -- Muscling The Nation: Benito Mussolini And The Maciste Films Of The 1920s -- Conclusion: The Giant Of The Dolomites And Beyond -- Appendix By Claudia Gianetto And Stella Dagna, Translated By Maria Elena D'amelio -- Part 1: The Restoration Of The Maciste Series -- Part 2: Maciste: In Focus -- Part 3: Filmography. Jacqueline Reich ; With An Appendix By Claudia Gianetto (head Of Film Archive) And Stella Dagna (film Archivist),museo Nazionale Del Cinema, Turin, Italy. Appendix Translated From The Italian. Filmography: Pages 282-293. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 295-394) And Index. Cover 1 CONTENTS 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 10 Introduction: Why Maciste? 18 1 The Birth of the Strongman: Italian Silent Cinema, Stardom, and Genre 40 2 From Slave to Master: Cabiria (1914) and Maciste (1915) 68 3 Maciste Goes to War: Maciste alpino (1916) 98 4 Over There: The Maciste Series, World War I, and American Film Culture 132 5 Love, Labor, and Leadership: The Maciste Series and Modernity, 1919–1922 166 6 Muscling the Nation: Benito Mussolini and the Maciste Films of the 1920s 204 Conclusion: The Giant of the Dolomites and Beyond 279 Appendix 286 Part 1: The Restoration of the Maciste Series 288 Part 2: Maciste: In Focus 307 Part 3: Filmography 323 NOTES 336 BIBLIOGRAPHY 408 INDEX 436 A 436 B 437 C 438 D 440 E 440 F 441 G 442 H 443 I 443 J 444 K 444 L 445 M 446 N 450 O 450 P 451 Q 452 R 452 S 453 T 454 U 454 V 454 W 455 Z 455 Illustrations 242