Cleopatra (1917 film)
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| Cleopatra | |
|---|---|
 Original release poster |
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| Directed by | J. Gordon Edwards |
| Written by | H. Rider Haggard (novel - uncredited) Adrian Johnson Émile Moreau (play) Victorien Sardou (play) |
| Starring | Theda Bara (Cleopatra) Fritz Leiber (Caesar) Thurston Hall (Antony) |
| Music by | José Martínez |
| Cinematography | John W. Boyle Rial Schellinger George Schneiderman |
| Editing by | Edward M. McDermott |
| Release date(s) | October 14, 1917 (USA) |
| Running time | 125 min |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | Silent film (English) intertitles |
| Budget | $500,000 |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The 1917 Cleopatra was directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starred Theda Bara in the title role. Fritz Leiber Sr. played Julius Caesar and Thurston Hall played Marc Antony.
It was one of the most elaborate Hollywood films ever produced up to that time, with particularly lavish sets and costumes. According to the studio, the film cost $500,000 to make and employed 2000 people behind the scenes. The story of this silent film was very loosely based on the plot of William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. Theda Bara appeared in a variety of fantastic costumes, some quite risqué. The film was a great success at the time. Years later with the imposition of Hollywood's Hays Code the film was judged too obscene to be shown. The last two prints known were destroyed in fires at the Fox studios and at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Only a few fragments in the hands of museums survive to this day. [1] The picture was filmed on the Dominquez slough just outside of Long Beach, California.
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