“Gennaro Righelli and Maria Jacobini were the first Italian to go to Germany in the early 20s: they did not arrive as immigrants, but after Jacob Karel’s urgent invitation, who did not hesitate to create the “Maria Jacobini GmbH” just for their arrival.

They finally reached Berlin in late 1922, preceded by the success of their latest films, Il viaggio, Cainà and Amore Rosso; the couple started working right away, making a well appreciated version of Bohème, where an eccellent Wilhelm Dieterle in the role of Rodolfo played alongside the female protagonist.

After the success of the film, the Trianon Company of Berlin brought the Jacobini GmbH and agreed to produce three films, two of which were to be shot in Egypt. Before moving to Cairo, whose hardship were to prove too much for Jacobini, Righelli directed for Karol’s Phoebus another film, Der Bastard, from a novel which just few years before had known a sudden success. Mario Almirante took part in the direction, photography was assigned to three skilled cameramen: Arata from Italy, Viragh from Hungary and Von Borsody from Germany. Der Bastard is a perfect movie from the 20s’, well directed, photographed, interpreted by a cosmopolitan cast all working together in harmony”.

Vittorio Martinelli