Ruth Puccio Posse, an Argentinean traveller of Italian descent who met and married a military man, films on 29 April 1937 on 16mm the preparations for the great parade to be held in mid-May to celebrate the first year of the foundation of the Empire. The parade, the Great Review of the Empire, to be held at the Imperial Forum will be attended by colonial troops, in particular the ascari, the famous Eritrean soldiers. And it is the ascari who particularly attract Ruth's attention in this late April shoot. The camera lingers between the Italian and African soldiers, camped near Rome, in Casal de' Pazzi, near Circeo, joking among themselves and proudly displaying swords, sabres, rifles and animals (monkeys, camels and dromedaries) that even the children like. And one can recognise in the images the 'dubat', in their white turbans, the 'zaptiè', the Eritrean carabinieri and the mounted ascari (text taken from Sara Filippelli, 'Women and home movies').