Cabiria

Directed by Giovanni Pastrone


Inspired by grand opera and Italy's imperialist victory in the Libyan War (1911-12), the Italian movie industry produced dozens of historical epics in the period just before WW I. The most influential and successful of these was Cabiria, the visually spectacular film which set the standard for big-budget feature-length movies around the world.

The story concerns a girl, Cabiria, who is separated from her parents during the PunicWars in the Third Century B.C. In her odyssey through the world of ancient Rome she observes the eruption of Mt. Etna, endures capture by pirates, views the barbaric splendor of Carthage, and witnesses both human sacrifice and Hannibal crossing the Alps. In addition to the meticulous care given to costume and set design, Cabiria was also filmed in on location in North Africa, Sicily and the Italian Alps.

This Kino on Video edition was mastered from a superior quality 35mm print and recorded at correct projection speed. The piano soundtrack, performed by Jacques Gauthier, is adapted from the original 1914 score.