The identification of this film as Tripoli italiana is supported by a couple of publicity notices in “The Moving Picture World” in March 1912, which mention the presence of a “great” and “famous” Catholic church (in one shot the bell tower of Santa Maria degli Angeli is visible) and of ancient Roman monuments (which could refer to the couple of headless statues which can be seen left in the port in the final metres of the surviving film). In the lively bustle of the city, Westerners in military uniforms or shirt and tie stubbornly stand out: a clear sign of a total disinterest in any form of integration.

Andrea Meneghelli