Emilio Ghione
Encyclopedia
Emilio Luigi Carlo Giuseppe Maria Ghione (July 30, 1879 – January 7, 1930), known as Emilio Ghione, was an Italian silent film
actor, director and screenwriter. Ghione was best known for writing, directing and starring in the Za La Mort series of adventure films, in which Ghione played a likeable French apache and 'honest outlaw.' Ghione directed, wrote and acted in every genre of film, and directed some of the most famous stars of the time, including Francesca Bertini
, Lina Cavalieri
, Alberto Collo and Hesperia. After his final film role in 1926, Ghione briefly performed on a theatrical tour of Italy. Ghione wrote three novels based around his Za La Mort character, an autobiography, and an essay on Italian Silent Cinema, before his death from tuberculosis in 1930.
In 1979, a retrospective of Ghione's films was held at the Venice Film Festival
. In 2008, a retrospective of his films was held at the Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna
, and a temporary exhibition of photographs and film stills documenting Ghione's career was opened at the Cineteca of Bologna.
Ghione secured work in Turin's growing film industry in 1908, initially as a set-hand and stuntman
, performing dangerous stunts involving falling from horses. He began to play secondary roles in a variety of films, including the comedies of André Deed
. Frustrated by the slow progress of his career, Ghione left Turin in 1911 to seek his fortune in Rome.
and Alberto Collo, including Histoire d'un Pierrot. Ghione directed his first film as actor-director, Il Circolo Nero, in 1913. Ghione became known for his success in directing the demanding divas of the period, including Lina Cavalieri
, Francesca Bertini
and Hesperia. However, Ghione was not entirely able to resist their demands- Francesca Bertini
allegedly ordered the destruction of all the prints of Don Pietro Caruso because she did not like the outfits she wore in the film.
.
) and other minor film companies. Ghione's decadent lifestyle and expensive habits left him nearly penniless when the Italian film industry collapsed in 1922. In 1923, he left for Germany to make Zalamort-der traum der zalavie with Fern Andrea
, but the film was a commercial failure, owing partially to the fact that it was extensively cut by the censors.
Eventually, Ghione's own lack of funds and the commercial failure of several projects meant that he was no longer able to get the investment necessary to make his own film projects. Senza Padre (1924) was his last film as screenwriter, director and actor, and Ghione abandoned his last film project as a director, La Casa Errante, in 1927.
Ghione then acted in several of the 'all-star' productions of 1925-1926, which failed to revive the dying Italian film industry.
In 1926, Ghione launched a theatrical revue with Kally Sambucini and Alberto Collo and toured Italy performing sketches based on the Za La Mort films.
Ghione's second novel, Za La Mort, was published in 1928. The novel was largely based on the Za La Mort films, especially on Zalamort-der traum der zalavie, the plot of which had been made almost unintelligible by censorship cuts. Ghione's autobiography, Memorie e Confessioni also appeared in the monthly cinema magazine Cinemalia between March and December 1928.
During his time in Paris in 1929, Ghione wrote an essay on the history of Italian silent cinema La Parabole du Cinéma Italien (The Parabola of Italian Cinema). This essay was the first look at Italian silent cinema as a whole and was quoted extensively by the first film historians to deal with Italian silent cineam, such as Eugenio Palmieri. The essay was published in the French L'Art Cinematographique series in 1930 and in the Barcelona
newspaper La Vanguardia
in 1931.
In 1930, another Za La Mort novel was published called L'Ombra di Za La Mort. The novel's central character is Ghione/Za La Mort, a mix of Ghione's decadent star persona and his favourite character, and tells of his adventures across the world and his encounters with beautiful women. The novel features extracts from Ghione's autobiography Memorie e Confessioni and minimises the character of Kally Sambucini/Za La Vie.
In 1915, Ghione started a relationship with Kally Sambucini, which lasted until his death.
Ghione led a famously decadent life, following the trends set by poet Gabriele D'Annunzio
. Ghione spent a lot of money on restaurants, generous tips, clothes and antiques. Ghione was a fan of luxury automobiles made by Lancia
and used them in his films.
in 1927. A public appeal was opened for Ghione, and the money was used to help his recovery and send him to Paris in search of work. During his stay in Paris
in 1929, Ghione slept rough and his health deteriorated. He was hospitalised in Paris and Lina Cavalieri
paid to send him back to Turin
by train.
Emilio Ghione died on January 7, 1930 in Rome
, in the presence of Kally Sambucini and his son, Pierfrancesco Ghione. His funeral was held at the Roman Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri
, and his remains interred in the Verano cemetery in Rome.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
actor, director and screenwriter. Ghione was best known for writing, directing and starring in the Za La Mort series of adventure films, in which Ghione played a likeable French apache and 'honest outlaw.' Ghione directed, wrote and acted in every genre of film, and directed some of the most famous stars of the time, including Francesca Bertini
Francesca Bertini
Francesca Bertini was an Italian silent film actress. She was one of the most successful silent film stars in the first quarter of the twentieth-century.-Biography:...
, Lina Cavalieri
Lina Cavalieri
Lina Cavalieri was an Italian operatic soprano and diseuse known for her grace and beauty.-Biography:...
, Alberto Collo and Hesperia. After his final film role in 1926, Ghione briefly performed on a theatrical tour of Italy. Ghione wrote three novels based around his Za La Mort character, an autobiography, and an essay on Italian Silent Cinema, before his death from tuberculosis in 1930.
In 1979, a retrospective of Ghione's films was held at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
. In 2008, a retrospective of his films was held at the Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, and a temporary exhibition of photographs and film stills documenting Ghione's career was opened at the Cineteca of Bologna.
Early Life and film career
Born in Turin, Emilio Ghione was the son of a minor painter, Celestino Ghione, and initially worked as a painter of miniatures.Ghione secured work in Turin's growing film industry in 1908, initially as a set-hand and stuntman
Stuntman
A stuntman or stunt performer is someone who performs dangerous stunts.Stuntman may also refer to:*The Stunt Man, a 1980 film starring Peter O'Toole*Stuntman , a 2002 video game**Stuntman: Ignition, its sequel...
, performing dangerous stunts involving falling from horses. He began to play secondary roles in a variety of films, including the comedies of André Deed
André Deed
Henri André Chapais, known as André Deed, was a French-born actor and director, best known for his Foolshead comedies, produced in the 1900s and 1910s...
. Frustrated by the slow progress of his career, Ghione left Turin in 1911 to seek his fortune in Rome.
Rise to fame
In Rome, Ghione quickly progressed to starring roles in films made by Cines and Celio-Film, such as Il poverello di assisi (St Francis on its British release). Ghione then starred in a series of films alongside Francesca BertiniFrancesca Bertini
Francesca Bertini was an Italian silent film actress. She was one of the most successful silent film stars in the first quarter of the twentieth-century.-Biography:...
and Alberto Collo, including Histoire d'un Pierrot. Ghione directed his first film as actor-director, Il Circolo Nero, in 1913. Ghione became known for his success in directing the demanding divas of the period, including Lina Cavalieri
Lina Cavalieri
Lina Cavalieri was an Italian operatic soprano and diseuse known for her grace and beauty.-Biography:...
, Francesca Bertini
Francesca Bertini
Francesca Bertini was an Italian silent film actress. She was one of the most successful silent film stars in the first quarter of the twentieth-century.-Biography:...
and Hesperia. However, Ghione was not entirely able to resist their demands- Francesca Bertini
Francesca Bertini
Francesca Bertini was an Italian silent film actress. She was one of the most successful silent film stars in the first quarter of the twentieth-century.-Biography:...
allegedly ordered the destruction of all the prints of Don Pietro Caruso because she did not like the outfits she wore in the film.
Za La Mort and height of fame
In 1914, Ghione created the first film featuring his character Za La Mort, Nelly La Gigolette, which was a great success. Following this success and his move to Tiber film, Ghione created a sequel called Za La Mort (1915), which developed the character and introduced a companion, Za La Vie, played by Kally Sambucini. Ghione created a total of thirteen Za La Mort feature films and three serial films between 1914 and 1924, many of which were very successful commercially. The character of Za La Mort, a Parisian apache, was unstable throughout the series. In some films, Za La Mort was a cruel-hearted, murderous, seductive criminal, while in others he was a romantic, faithful, underworld avenger, similar to Louis Feuillade's Judex. The Za La Mort series was mostly set in an imaginary Paris, with some episodes set in America and exotic tropical locations. Despite inconsistencies of plot and character and mostly negative critical reviews, Za La Morts exotic, exciting adventures captured the public imagination and Ghione became one of the most recognisable stars of the Italian silent cinema. During the production of the Za La Mort series, Ghione continued to star in and direct a variety of films, including melodramas, adventure films and a biopic of Italian patriot Guglielmo OberdanGuglielmo Oberdan
Guglielmo Oberdan, was an Italian irredentist. He was executed after a failed attempt to assassinate Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph, thus becoming a martyr of the Italian unification movement.- Biography :He was born in the city of Trieste, then part of the Austrian Empire...
.
Decline of film career and appearances in theatre
In the period 1919-1924, Ghione directed and starred in films for most of the major Italian film companies (including Lombardo (now known as TitanusTitanus
Titanus is an Italian film production company, founded in 1904 by Gustavo Lombardo . The company's headquarters are located at 28 Via Sommacampagna, Rome and its studios on the Via Tiburtina, 13 km from the centre of Rome....
) and other minor film companies. Ghione's decadent lifestyle and expensive habits left him nearly penniless when the Italian film industry collapsed in 1922. In 1923, he left for Germany to make Zalamort-der traum der zalavie with Fern Andrea
Fern Andra
Fern Andra was an American actress, film director, script writer and producer. Next to Henny Porten and Asta Nielsen she was one of the most popular and best-known actresses in German silent films of the 1910s...
, but the film was a commercial failure, owing partially to the fact that it was extensively cut by the censors.
Eventually, Ghione's own lack of funds and the commercial failure of several projects meant that he was no longer able to get the investment necessary to make his own film projects. Senza Padre (1924) was his last film as screenwriter, director and actor, and Ghione abandoned his last film project as a director, La Casa Errante, in 1927.
Ghione then acted in several of the 'all-star' productions of 1925-1926, which failed to revive the dying Italian film industry.
In 1926, Ghione launched a theatrical revue with Kally Sambucini and Alberto Collo and toured Italy performing sketches based on the Za La Mort films.
Career as an author
In 1922, Ghione's first Za La Mort novel, Le Maschere Bianche, was published in installments in the popular Al Cinema magazine.Ghione's second novel, Za La Mort, was published in 1928. The novel was largely based on the Za La Mort films, especially on Zalamort-der traum der zalavie, the plot of which had been made almost unintelligible by censorship cuts. Ghione's autobiography, Memorie e Confessioni also appeared in the monthly cinema magazine Cinemalia between March and December 1928.
During his time in Paris in 1929, Ghione wrote an essay on the history of Italian silent cinema La Parabole du Cinéma Italien (The Parabola of Italian Cinema). This essay was the first look at Italian silent cinema as a whole and was quoted extensively by the first film historians to deal with Italian silent cineam, such as Eugenio Palmieri. The essay was published in the French L'Art Cinematographique series in 1930 and in the Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
newspaper La Vanguardia
La Vanguardia
La Vanguardia is Catalonia's leading daily newspaper as well as the fourth best-selling in Spain. It has its headquarters in Barcelona, Catalonia's largest city....
in 1931.
In 1930, another Za La Mort novel was published called L'Ombra di Za La Mort. The novel's central character is Ghione/Za La Mort, a mix of Ghione's decadent star persona and his favourite character, and tells of his adventures across the world and his encounters with beautiful women. The novel features extracts from Ghione's autobiography Memorie e Confessioni and minimises the character of Kally Sambucini/Za La Vie.
Personal life
In 1911, Ghione married Clotilde Coletti and they had one son, Pierfrancesco Ghione, also known as Emilio Ghione Jr. The couple separated after 1913.In 1915, Ghione started a relationship with Kally Sambucini, which lasted until his death.
Ghione led a famously decadent life, following the trends set by poet Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio or d'Annunzio was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist, and dramatist...
. Ghione spent a lot of money on restaurants, generous tips, clothes and antiques. Ghione was a fan of luxury automobiles made by Lancia
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
and used them in his films.
Illness and death
Emilio Ghione was hospitalised following tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in 1927. A public appeal was opened for Ghione, and the money was used to help his recovery and send him to Paris in search of work. During his stay in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1929, Ghione slept rough and his health deteriorated. He was hospitalised in Paris and Lina Cavalieri
Lina Cavalieri
Lina Cavalieri was an Italian operatic soprano and diseuse known for her grace and beauty.-Biography:...
paid to send him back to Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
by train.
Emilio Ghione died on January 7, 1930 in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, in the presence of Kally Sambucini and his son, Pierfrancesco Ghione. His funeral was held at the Roman Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri
Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri
The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs is a titular basilica church in Rome, built inside the frigidarium of the Baths of Diocletian. The Cardinal priest of the is William Henry Keeler.- The basilica :...
, and his remains interred in the Verano cemetery in Rome.
Films as actor and director
- Il Circolo Nero (1913)
- Don Pietro Caruso (1914)
- Nelly La Gigolette (1914)
- Za La Mort (1915)
- Oberdan (1915)
- Anime Buie (1916)
- Il Triangolo Giallo (1917)
- I Topi Grigi (1918)
- Sua Eccellenza La Morte (1919)
- Dollari e Fracks (1919)
- Il castello di bronzo (1920)
- Senza pietà (1921)
- Quale dei due (1922), also known as Za La Mort contro Za La Mort
- La maga e il grifo (1922)
- Zalamort-der traum der zalavie (1924), known in Italy as L'incubo di Zalavie
- Senza Padre (1926)
Films as actor
- Come fu che l'ingordigia rovinò il Natale a Cretinetti (1910)
- La Gerusalemme Liberata (1911)
- Idolo Infranto (1913)
- Histoire d'un Pierrot (1913)
- Il Potere Sovrano (1916)
- La Cavalcata Ardente (1925)
- Gli Ultimi Giorni di Pompei (1926)
Films as director
- Sposa nella morte! (1915) starring Lina CavalieriLina CavalieriLina Cavalieri was an Italian operatic soprano and diseuse known for her grace and beauty.-Biography:...
- La rosa di granata (1916), starring Lina CavalieriLina CavalieriLina Cavalieri was an Italian operatic soprano and diseuse known for her grace and beauty.-Biography:...