''Cleopatra'' is a 1912 American silent

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and s ...

film starring Helen Gardner in the title role, and directed by Charles L. Gaskill, based on an 1890 play written by

Victorien Sardou Victorien Sardou ( , ; 5 September 18318 November 1908) was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play. He also wrote several plays that were made into popular 19th-centur ...

. It is the first film to be produced by Gardner's production company, The Helen Gardner Picture Players. ''Cleopatra'' is one of the first six-reel feature films produced in the United States. Promoted as "The most beautiful motion picture ever made", it was the first to offer a feature-length depiction of Cleopatra, although there had been a

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

about Antony and Cleopatra two years earlier.

Synopsis

In a series of elaborately staged tableaux, it depicts

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

and her love affairs, first with handsome fisherman-slave Pharon, then with

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

Cast

* Helen Gardner as

- Queen of Egypt * Mr. Howard as Pharon - A Greek slave and fisherman * Charles Sindelar as

- Triumvir and General * James R. Waite as Venditius - A Roman soldier * Mr. Osborne as Diomedes - A rich Egyptian * Harry Knowles as Kephren - Captain of the Guards to the Queen * Mr. Paul as Octavius - A

Triumvir A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...

and General * Mr. Brady as Serapian - An Egyptian priest * Mr. Corker as Ixias - Servant to Ventidius *

Pearl Sindelar Pearl Sindelar (born Pearl Evelyn Tinker; February 5, 1881 – July 9, 1958) was an American silent film actress. Early life and education Pearl Evelyn Tinker was from Virginia City, Nevada, the daughter of William Wallace Tinker and Mollie Mc ...

as Iras - An attendant * Miss Fielding as Charmian - An attendant * Miss Robson as Octavia - Wife of Antony *

Helene Costello Helene Costello (June 21, 1906 – January 26, 1957) was an American stage and film actress, most notably of the silent era. Early life and career Born in New York City, Costello was the youngest daughter of the prominent stage and pioneering ...

as Nicola - Child

Production

''Cleopatra'' was the first film produced by Helen Gardner's production company, The Helen Gardner Picture Players, located in

Tappan, New York Tappan ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York. It is located northwest of Alpine, New Jersey, north of Northvale, New Jersey and Rockleigh, New Jersey, northeast of Old Tappan, Ne ...

. Gardner created the company in 1910 after finding success in a series of early 1900s

Vitagraph Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...

shorts. The film's budget was $45,000 (approximately $ today) and featured lavish sets and costumes (Gardner also served as the film's costume designer and editor). Gardner used the natural Tappan scenery for outdoor shots in addition to sets.

Releases

Upon its release, ''Cleopatra'' played in

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically fo ...

s and theatres. The film was also featured in a theatrical roadshow accompanied by a

publicist A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for a work such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists who ...

, manager and a lecturer/

projectionist A projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector, particularly as an employee of a movie theater. Projectionists are also known as "operators". Historical background N.B. The dates given in the subject headings are approximate. Early ...

. In 1918, Gardner filmed additional scenes and re-issued the film to compete with the 1917 adaptation released by Fox and starring

Theda Bara Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatal ...

Reception

Film critic Dennis Schwartz described it as "energetic" while giving it a B− rating. The film is recognized by

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

in these lists: * 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated

Censorship

Like many American films of the time, ''Cleopatra'' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For the 1918 release, the Chicago Board of Censors required a cut of the two

intertitle In films, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (i.e., ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred to as "dialo ...

s "If I let you live and love me ten days, will you then destroy yourself?" and "Suppose Anthony were told that she had just left the embraces of the slave Pharon".

Status and restorations

The 1912 version of ''Cleopatra'' still exists in its entirety. In 2000,

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

had the print restored, using an earlier 1960s restoration, and commissioned a new musical score from the husband and wife team of

Chantal Kreviazuk Chantal Jennifer Kreviazuk (; born May 18, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, composer, and pianist. Born in Winnipeg, she played music from a young age before signing with Columbia Records in the 1990s. Her debut studio album, '' Under These ...

and

Raine Maida Raine Maida (born Michael Anthony Maida; February 18, 1970)
– Ourladypeace.cc. Retrieved April 30, 2010. is a C ...

. The restored version, complete with color tinting, first aired on TCM in August 2000.

References

External links

* * * *
''Cleopatra''
at silentera.com * * {{YouTube, Z8zk4ssv9xU, title=''Cleopatra'' 1910s historical drama films 1912 films American historical drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Depictions of Cleopatra on film Depictions of Mark Antony on film American films based on plays Films based on works by Victorien Sardou Films set in ancient Egypt Films set in the 1st century BC Films shot in New York (state) American independent films Articles containing video clips 1910s independent films 1912 drama films Censored films 1910s American films Silent American drama films