European Epic Movies from the 1910s

The Loves of Queen Elizabeth, Quo Vadis?, Pompeii, and Cabiria

Aug 25, 2008

Silent film epics, often with historical and/or religious settings, can be traced back to Europe. The leading producer of these was Italy until World War I came along.

The Great Train Robbery (1904) is considered by film historians to be the first movie to tell a story. This film, a one reeler (12 minutes), also set the pattern for movie length for the next several years, with occasional films running for two reels.

Then movies grew longer, first in pre-World War I Europe and later in America. Along with this change in length came the birth of the epics -- large budget films, usually with an historical and/or religious setting and containing spectacular sets, casts of thousands, and special effects.

France Sets the Stage for Longer Movies

In 1912, a French company produced Les amours de la reine Elisabeth, starring the noted stage actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) in the role of Elizabeth I. The film consisted of staged episodes from the life of the English queen with the main focus being on her ill-fated love affair with the Earl of Essex.

At 45 minutes, the picture was a static production, with no camera movement and no close-ups and is mainly a curiosity piece today. Nevertheless, it became the first "feature length film" to gain worldwide popularity and influenced other filmmakers to reach new heights.

Early Italian Silent Movie Epics

Pre-World War I Italy had 50 movie production companies and in the years before 1914 pulled away from France as the world’s leader in producing films. Good climate, scenery and excellent natural lighting all played a part in the country’s film production. And, as far as subject manner, it was not unexpected that the area’s ancient history would become a popular subject for Italian filmmakers.

Three Italian productions during this period, relying on the factors mentioned above, contributed much to movie history and, particularly, to the film epic. The first was The Last Days of Pompeii (1912), a 90 minute film set during the reign of Nero in 79 C.E. The story itself centers around a two sided love triangle between a blind slave girl, a Roman patrician, his lover, and an evil priest.

The actors’ performances can be best described as extremely theatrical, the camera work is static, and the first hour is quite slow moving. However, the climatic scenes, tinted red, centering around the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the ensuing panicked crowds are quite good considering the time period, and were impressive to contemporary audiences.

The year after Pompeii was released, Enrico Guazzoni directed Quo Vadis?, a story set in Rome during the early days of Christianity. Divided into three parts and extending over two hours, the film featured a specially written music score, elaborate scenery, and realistic details. The two most memorable scenes are the burning of Rome and the arena scene featuring gladiatorial combats, chariot races, a score of lions, and hundreds, if not thousands, of extras.

Although the histrionic acting and static camera remained , Guazzoni brought to the screen an exquisite eye for detail. Unlike many modern movies that use computer generated backgrounds, this production relied upon huge hand built sets that would probably never be created today.

The Apex of Italian Epic Filmmaking

In 1914, Giovanni Pastrone’s Cabiria became the most popular movie worldwide ever to that date. Set during the Carthaginian Wars of 300 B.C.E., the basic plot concerns the ten year saga of a young noble Roman girl (Cabiria) who is kidnapped, sold into Carthaginian slavery, and eventually rescued by a fellow Roman and his black servant.

However, the story is secondary to the spectacular that the movie was. Among the three hour film’s most outstanding moments, aided by Pastrone’s use of a moving camera, are the eruption of Mt. Etna, the sacrifices in the temple of Moloch, the scaling of Carthage’s wall by Roman soldiers, and Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps (which was filmed during the winter in the real Alps using real elephants).

The Effect of European Epics

Cabiria, and to a lesser extent Pompeii and Quo Vadis?, had a great influence on the American directors, D. W. Griffith and Cecil B. de Mille. When European filmmaking declined during the years of World War I, these two men continued the epic tradition.

The copyright of the article European Epic Movies from the 1910s in European Films is owned by John K. Davis. Permission to republish European Epic Movies from the 1910s in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.