Between 1911 and 1914, Italian cinema enjoys international expansion, notably, thanks to the success of historical reconstructions. The depth of field resulting from ever more frequent exterior shots gives more latitude to the actors who no longer play only in front of the camera. Hitherto, confined to a space designed as a stage set, freedom of movement is now greater than in regular shoots.

So, the mastery of space, amplified by greater flexibility of the camera, facilitates the emergence of new genres on the fringes of purely spectacular cinema. It is Ernesto Maria Pasquali (1883-1919), pioneer of Italian cinema, who, influenced by foreign models, is one of the first to turn in 1911 towards modern subjects. Then, in some of the films that he produces, there appears an interest in a cinema of realistic inspiration, aiming at wider audiences. Witness of the decline of his father, forced into unemployment, the hero of Per il babbo (For Daddy) seems to prefigure in this sense the recurrence of the character of the child at odds with the social and historic context in post-war Italian neorealist films.

In Per il babbo, the renowned Turin production house, Pasquali & C., founded in 1908 by director Ernesto Maria Pasquali, features, by the side of young actor Tonino Giolino the other star of the film, guarantor of a happy end. It is the Pasquali & C. firm, clearly identified in the film, which saves a family from social decline and preserves the figure of the father. A manner, perhaps, for the firm, to highlight itself in this splendid but also very competitive period of Italian production.

The original music for this film was composed by Pierre Oberkampf in 2011 in the context of the call for proposals launched in partnership with the Sacem (Société des auteurs compositeurs et éditeurs de musique – Society of authors, composers and music editors).