“Viennese Emil Justitz (1878-1932) started his career as film director with several of Maria Carmi’s films (Die Letzte eines alten Geschlechtes, Die Richterin von Solvigsholm); his activity was interrupted in 1916 when he was drafted. Discharged in 1918, he returned to Vienna where he made Der Märtyrer seines Herzens, a biography of Beethoven, to whom Fritz Kortner lends a face with a very convincing likeness. The following year Justitz founded his own production studio and managed to make about ten films in four years utilizing almost always the same actors. Amongst them we find the didactic Der rote Plakat, this Taschendiebe, and an interesting Der Gouverneur des Todes, adapted from Prosper Merimée and starring Erich Kaiser-Titz. In 1923 the “Emil Justitz Film Produktion” merged with “Björnstad” to produce a film in Greece and Montenegro: Vitus Tavons Generalcoup, of which we would like to know more about.
Gravely ill, Justitz withdrew himself from all work and died in 1932 at only 54 years of age”. (Vittorio Martinelli)