Cabiria

1914

120 minutes.

Silent film with music track

Italy

Directed by Giovanni Pastrone

Historical epic

During the war between Carthage and Rome a girl is separated from her parents.  In her odyssey through the world of ancient Rome, she encounters an erupting volcano, the barbaric splendor of Carthage, human sacrifice and Hannibal crossing the Alps.

Silent film with piano score.

Three centuries before Christus.  Young Cabiria is kidnapped by some pirates during one eruption of the volcano Etna.  She is sold as a slave in Carthage, and as she is just going to be sacrificed to god Moloch, Cabiria is rescued by both Fulvio Axilla, a Roman noble, and his giant slave Maciste.  Maciste is captured just after having confided Cabiria to Sophinisbe’s safekeeping, while Fulvio Axilla manages to escape from Carthage.  Ten years went away in Punic wars before he is able to come back to Carthage.