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Tigris
(1913) Italy
B&W : [?] Seven? reels
Directed by Vincenzo C. Dénizot
Cast: Edoardo Davesnes [Tigris; Leblanc; and il commissario], Lydia Quaranta (Lidia Quaranta) [Lidia], Alessandro Bernard (Alex Bernard) [il poliziotto Roland], Dante Cappelli
Itala Film production; distributed by Itala Film. / Cinematography by Natale Chiusano and Segundo de Chomón. / Released February 1913. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / The film was released in the USA in March 1913. [?] Limbacher-Feature p. 252 lists the release year as 1911.
Drama: Crime.
Synopsis: [From a review by Louis Reeves Harrison in The Moving Picture World, 1913] Tigris is an elaborate criminal: it is man to man from beginning to end. Incident swift and fast, mystery after mystery and above all the matching of wits between keen detective and clever crook that made the tales of Sherlock Holmes fascinating. / Tigris presents the fascinating picture of a bold villain who opposes his skill and daring to the brains and determination of an exceptional detective named Roland and is helped out in this nefarious schemes by the fact that he plays the role of a respectable and successful merchant devoted to an only sister, Lydia. There is thus presented a Dr Jekyll with an overwhelming passion for misdeeds. / Roland has the might of the law behind him. Tigris has a gang of desperadoes at his bidding and a thoroughness of organization that enables him to struggle against social law. He is in a constant state of escape from the toils set for him and so infatuated with his own destiny that he dares impersonate the very men who are constantly looking for him and he even aids then in the search. / We must accept improbabilities in a story such as this. There is no time to survey situations carmly in such a rapid series of them. There are desperate fights in motor cars, in a den of thieves, in a platial dwelling, wherever the elements of order and disorder clash and the amazing escapes only arouse the admiration for the ingenuity of the characters. Memorable piece of work is the escape of Roland from being torn to pieces by the engine of a train after he has been tied to a railroad track. We see him struggling with his bonds as the locomotive swiftly approaches, release himself at the last minute and manage to clutch the buffers as the wheels are about to pass over his body. Tigris is an outlaw; we secretly envy his freedom and his defiance of authority. He would be more interesting if there were time to show his antecedent circumstances. But it is not difficult to take him as he is and watch his conflict with bated breath. / The picture has opportunities for the cameraman. Best of these is a scene where Tigris gives Roland a potion in a glass of wine. His head sinks down to the table and we are given a series of pictures of what passes through his confused mind. / The ballroom rocks; the dancers are doubled and even trebled; strange shapes appear; we are treated to a confusion of dreams and the termination of his nightmare is the most consistent and amusing spectacle during the entire play. This is a motion picture advantage over the stage which has been skillfully utilized.
Survival status: Print exists.
Current rights holder: (unknown) [Italy]; Public domain [USA].
Keywords: Criminals - Law: Enforcement: Police: Detectives
Listing updated: 19 December 2023.
References: Limbacher-Feature p. 252; Sklar-Movie p. 129; Tarbox-Lost pp. 116, 152, 279 : Website-IMDb.
Home video: DVD.
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