Silent film seduction: 1912's Cleopatra invented the blockbuster before blockbusters existed.
The fabled queen of Egypt's affair with Roman general Marc Antony is ultimately disastrous for both of them.
Costume
Helen Gardner's self-designed $30,000 wardrobe—she bankrolled this herself.
Acting
Gardner's hypnotic eyes doing what dialogue never could.
Production
Massive sets built in the Bronx, because Egypt was apparently there.
Director
Charles L. Gaskill
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Helen Gardner was cinema's first female producer—she formed her own company to make this after studios refused her creative control.
This film sparked a 1910s 'Cleopatra craze' that saw four competing Cleopatra films released within two years.
US
