Cleopatra (partially found drama film; 1917): Difference between revisions

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{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWn7L2pL5dI|320x240|right|The surviving 20 seconds.|frame}}
{{NSFW|sexually explicit content}}
[[File:ThedaBara-Cleopatra.jpg|thumb|320px|One of Bara's "risque" outfits; her vulva is almost completely visible.]]
{{InfoboxLost
'''''Cleopatra '''''is a 1917 silent film starring Theda Bara. It is one of her many lost films (only 4 from her prolific film career in the silent era are still known to exist). Of this reportedly 2 and a half hour long film, only 20 seconds survive.
|title=<center>Cleopatra (1917)</center>
|image=ThedaBaraCleopatra-InfoboxPoster.jpg
|imagecaption=A poster for the film.
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
}}
'''''Cleopatra ''''' is a 1917 silent film starring Theda Bara. This is one of her many silent-era films to be lost (only four are still known to exist). Of this two-and-a-half-hour long film, only 20 seconds have survived prior to 2023.<ref> Solomon, Aubrey (2011). The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography. McFarland. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-786-48610-6. </ref><ref> http://silentera.com/PSFL/data/C/Cleopatra1917.html </ref> James Fennell then discovered and purchased a previously unknown fragment on eBay, and uploaded the 41 second clip to the YouTube channel Old Films & Stuff on September 14th, 2023.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwPZuyF2Th0 Cleopatra (1917) - Newly Discovered Footage]. Retrieved 15 Sep '23.</ref>


Many claim the film to be one of the most elaborate and expensive of its time. Without any remaining footage, nobody can really know for sure. The film is infamous for Bara's risque, nearly nude outfits (some claim that her privates were exposed several times throughout the movie). This caused the film to be labeled as "obscene" and church organizations all tried obtaining copies of the film to destroy them. Historians and collectors scrambled to save as many copies as they could. The last known few copies of the film were destroyed (like many classic films of the silent era) in a studio vault fire in the 1930s and the film has never been seen since.
Many believe the film to be among the most elaborate and expensive of its time.<ref>[http://silentera.com/PSFL/data/C/Cleopatra1917.html Silent Era article.] Retrieved 15 Mar '16.</ref> Despite its success at the box office, the last known copies of the film were destroyed in fires. One was at the Fox studio vault fire in 1937, and the other fire was at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1958.<ref> Solomon, Aubrey (2011). The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography. McFarland. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-786-48610-6. </ref><ref> Klepper, Robert K. (1996). Silent Films On Video: A Filmography Of Over 700 Silent Features Available On Videocassette, With a Directory Of Sources. McFarland & Co. p. 8. ISBN 0-786-40157-5. </ref> The film has never been seen in its entirety since.<ref> http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.4321/default.html </ref><ref> https://web.archive.org/web/20141225003106/http://www.thegreatstars.com/lost_film_wanted.htm </ref>


Aside from the aforementioned 20 second fragment, no known surviving footage from the film exists. The film was called one of the best and most daring roles Bara took on. Bara was proud of her performance and really liked being able to show off her body. Just like the 1922 Stroheim Director's Cut of ''Greed'', this is viewed as another "holy grail" amongst movie collectors.
The only surviving footage known to exist is the aforementioned two clips. It has fallen into a category with [[Greed "8-hour cut" (lost cut of silent film; 1924)|1922 Stroheim Director's Cut of ''Greed'']] as a "holy grail" amongst movie collectors.
 
Phillip Dye started a [https://indiegogo.com/projects/lost-cleopatra-video-project#/ failed Indiegogo project] to reconstruct the film, but (as of September 2016) he has found over 400 film stills and counting. On February 8th, 2017, Dye screened ''Lost Cleopatra'' at a Hollywood museum.<ref> https://web.archive.org/web/20170501083710/http://laist.com/2017/02/06/20_of_the_coolest_events_happening_2.php </ref>
 
==Surviving Footage==
{{Video|perrow  =2
  |service1    =youtube
  |id1          =OWn7L2pL5dI
  |description1 =The first surviving clip of ~20 seconds (footage starts ~0:42).
  |service2    =youtube
  |id2          =QwPZuyF2Th0
  |description2 =The second surviving clip of ~41 seconds (footage starts ~0:36).
}}
 
==Reference==
{{reflist}}
 
==External Links==
*[http://lostcleopatra.com/ Official website of "Lost Cleopatra".] Retrieved 15 Mar '16
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_(1917_film) Wikipedia article on ''Cleopatra''.] Retrieved 15 Mar '16.
 
[[Category:Lost films]]
[[Category:Partially found media]]
[[Category:Historic]]

Latest revision as of 05:19, 15 September 2023

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This article has been tagged as NSFW due to its sexually explicit content.


ThedaBaraCleopatra-InfoboxPoster.jpg

A poster for the film.

Status: Partially Found

Cleopatra is a 1917 silent film starring Theda Bara. This is one of her many silent-era films to be lost (only four are still known to exist). Of this two-and-a-half-hour long film, only 20 seconds have survived prior to 2023.[1][2] James Fennell then discovered and purchased a previously unknown fragment on eBay, and uploaded the 41 second clip to the YouTube channel Old Films & Stuff on September 14th, 2023.[3]

Many believe the film to be among the most elaborate and expensive of its time.[4] Despite its success at the box office, the last known copies of the film were destroyed in fires. One was at the Fox studio vault fire in 1937, and the other fire was at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1958.[5][6] The film has never been seen in its entirety since.[7][8]

The only surviving footage known to exist is the aforementioned two clips. It has fallen into a category with 1922 Stroheim Director's Cut of Greed as a "holy grail" amongst movie collectors.

Phillip Dye started a failed Indiegogo project to reconstruct the film, but (as of September 2016) he has found over 400 film stills and counting. On February 8th, 2017, Dye screened Lost Cleopatra at a Hollywood museum.[9]

Surviving Footage

The first surviving clip of ~20 seconds (footage starts ~0:42).

The second surviving clip of ~41 seconds (footage starts ~0:36).

Reference

  1. ↑ Solomon, Aubrey (2011). The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography. McFarland. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-786-48610-6.
  2. ↑ http://silentera.com/PSFL/data/C/Cleopatra1917.html
  3. ↑ Cleopatra (1917) - Newly Discovered Footage. Retrieved 15 Sep '23.
  4. ↑ Silent Era article. Retrieved 15 Mar '16.
  5. ↑ Solomon, Aubrey (2011). The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography. McFarland. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-786-48610-6.
  6. ↑ Klepper, Robert K. (1996). Silent Films On Video: A Filmography Of Over 700 Silent Features Available On Videocassette, With a Directory Of Sources. McFarland & Co. p. 8. ISBN 0-786-40157-5.
  7. ↑ http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.4321/default.html
  8. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20141225003106/http://www.thegreatstars.com/lost_film_wanted.htm
  9. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20170501083710/http://laist.com/2017/02/06/20_of_the_coolest_events_happening_2.php

External Links

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