In 1926 the last three films of the series with Bartolomeo Pagano were released: Maciste nella gabbia dei leoni, Maciste contro lo sceicco and Maciste all’inferno. They were three important films, very different from one another in tone and style. The first one, perhaps the least well known, is a circus melodrama that exploits the glamour of Baroque sets and the harmony between the actors, novice and esteemed character actors alike. A competition between two opposing models of feminine charm: which is better, the somewhat infantile determination of young Mimì Dovia
or the cold elegance of Elena Sangro, to whom D’Annunzio dedicated the poem Alla piacente? Maciste had consolidated his status as a popular character and no longer needed to depend on the metacinematographic game ofbeing an actor in the fictional world and in reality. In fact, here he is a lion tamer, engaged in thwarting the criminal plans of evil Strasser and his voluptuous accomplice Sarah, who want to trick Giorgio, the owner’s son, in order to take over the Pommer circus. At times the film uses easy special effects, scantily dressed ballerinas and ferocious beasts (at least with ferocious intentions), but it also has intense moments like the cruel scene of the athlete Sullivan punishing young Creola Seida for having refused his advances by violently cutting her nails in front of a small cheering crowd. The film’s reference to sexual threats is particularly crude and explicit, foreshadowing the morbid tone of Maciste contro lo sceicco.

Stella Dagna, Claudia Gianetto