Overview
A young girl’s harrowing journey from captivity to freedom unfolds against the backdrop of ancient empires.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- solemn
- melodramatic
- grandiose
- classic cinema viewing
- historical epic marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Cabiria as a visually monumental and historically important silent epic whose scale and cinematic technique remain striking.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film presents Carthage, Rome, fleets, battles, elephants, and the Moloch temple on an unusually expansive scale for its period.
Cabiria is kidnapped, enslaved, threatened with sacrifice, and moved through the conflict between Carthage and Rome.
The Moloch sacrifice, Carthaginian settings, Roman forces, war fleets, and elephant imagery make scale itself a central expressive device.
Produced by Itala Film and directed by Giovanni Pastrone, the film is identified with Italian silent cinema and classical antiquity filmmaking.
Films like Cabiria, and why
Intolerance
Shared classical antiquity setting, large-scale spectacle, historical drama, and silent-era visual storytelling.
Ben-Hur
Shared ancient-world adventure, slavery and empire themes, monumental production design, and epic historical scope.
The Thief of Bagdad
Shared silent-era spectacle, perilous rescue narrative, expressive staging, and adventure melodrama.
Movie Details
- Director
- Giovanni Pastrone
- Release Date
- 1914-06-01
- Runtime
- 148 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (151)
Cast
- Carolina Catena
- Lidia Quaranta
- Gina Marangoni
- Dante Testa
- Umberto Mozzato
- Bartolomeo Pagano
- Raffaele di Napoli
- Emilio Vardannes
- Edoardo Davesnes
- Italia Almirante-Manzini
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Cabiria about?
- A landmark Italian silent epic follows a kidnapped girl through slavery, ritual danger, and the sweeping violence of the Punic Wars.
- What is Cabiria like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Cabiria as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Cabiria violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Cabiria as moderate.
- What did critics think of Cabiria?
- Critics broadly regard Cabiria as a visually monumental and historically important silent epic whose scale and cinematic technique remain striking.
- Which films are like Cabiria?
- Films with a similar feel include Intolerance, Ben-Hur, and The Thief of Bagdad.
- How long is Cabiria?
- Cabiria runs 148 minutes.
- Where can I watch Cabiria?
- In United States, Cabiria is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Fandango At Home.
