Cabiria Review

 I was very surprised by how much I liked Cabiria. I have seen a couple other silent films but none of them really had the same feel as this one. The set design was beautiful and was made to further the story. It also gave the picture depth and alongside the movement of the camera really made it stand out against Marc Antony and Cleopatra. The acting was very exaggerated which gave the film a very theatrical tone and really went well with the extravagant costumes as well. It was also very ahead of its time with the special effects, which I think still hold up now. My personal favorite effects were the dream sequence and the Mount Etna eruption.

Though the movie was nice it still has some problematic topics. Though it was made 100 years ago and was is socially acceptable has changed, some themes used reinforced stereotypes and prejudice to fear monger. Since this movie was made after the Italian Turkish war, you can see the prejudice against anyone who looks "foreign" or not Roman. It seemed to want to make all of the "scary" people look foreign which furthers the propaganda that was rampant in Italy at the time. Another harmful theme is the blackface used throughout the movie and using anyone with darker skin a slave. The lack of women in the movie and sexism with the female characters they do have is very evident. Though Cabiria was a kind woman, she was also seen as a damsel in distress and she was just an object to pick up and carry around. Though these themes are evidence of what time period this was made in it still can be criticized for the lack of representation.

Comments

  1. DrKSeptember 5, 2023 at 1:05 PM

    I'm glad you saw both the beauty and the more problematic features of this movie. I would maybe grant the adult Cabiria a bit more agency, but as a child, she definitely is frequently carried around like a bag of potatoes.

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