Giovanni Pastrone was educated as an accountant. From 1907, he was the
administrative director of the Italian – German company Rossi & C. (later
Itala Film). With his work as a producer and director, also under the
pseudonym Giovanni Fosco, he marked Italian film in the cross over from its
pioneering phase to the modern film industry. He directed only about fifteen
films, and devoted himself to producing (pseudo)historical spectacles in the
time of the commercial blooming and international acclaim of Italian film in the
beginning of the 20th century. His most famous film is Cabiria (1914),
while others include La catuda di Troia (1910), Maciste alpino,
(co-director, 1916), La guerra e il sogno di Momi, (1917), Tigre reale (1916),
Povere bimbe (1923).