Franz Sala
The film takes place at the end of the 19th century. The Cardinal Guglielmo Massaia has spent 20 years in Ethiopia to convert people to the Catholic Church. He comes back to Italy and he tries to get the help of the government of Piedmont. The Count Cavour, although he appreciates the Cardinal's deeds in Africa, cannot grant his Cabinet's support to the Cardinal's plans. The missionary man, trusting the Divine Providence, goes back to Africa by himself. The Cardinal, who is known among the people as Abuna Messias, becomes a friend of king Menelik. The support of the king is fundamental to spread his word and accomplish his mission. The Head of the Coptic Church, Abuna Attanasio, does whatever he can to prevent Massaia from reaching his goals and to get him exiled from Ethiopia. Menelik refuses to help Abuna Attanasio, who decides to address the Emperor, thus igniting a war between the Emperor and his subject Menelik. In order to end the war, the Cardinal decides to leave Africa.
Bartolomeo Pagano as Maciste in Maciste in the Lions' Den. A Italian silent from 1926.
A young girl is abducted by her tutor, and they set off in a ship which has a sheik on board, who tries to molest her, but she is saved by a sailor. He and Maciste fight off the entire crew but the girl is captured again by the sheik and carried off to his harem, where Maciste and the sailor rescue her and take her back to Italy.
The devil takes Maciste down to hell in an attempt to corrupt and ruin his morality.
In L'innamorata, Almirante is at the zenith of her career, starring as Mara Flores, a vampish society lady, who casts her eyes on Carlo, an electrical engineer and director of a powerplant. Although attracted to Mara, he rejects her, and she immediately turns around and sinks her fangs in his best friend and future brother-in-law, Franco. Not possessing Carlo's self-composure, Franco takes up with Mara, and it leads him to his ruin and death. Now, Carlo does fall under Mara's spell, and as their passion intensifies, it becomes clear that there will be no happy end to this story.
