Underplayed Gems

Giuliano l'apostata (1919)

Giuliano l'apostata poster
Directed by
Ugo Falena
Genre
silent film
Country
Italy
Runtime
1h 42m
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

This silent film is about the 4th century Roman Emperor Julian who rejected Christianity and tried to revive paganism. It follows his life and downfall but shows him in a sympathetic light.

historicaldramaticsympatheticslow-pacedmelodramaticstylizedseriousdated

What happens

Giuliano l'Apostata is a 1919 Italian historical drama film directed by Ugo Falena, starring Guido Graziosi and Ileana Leonidoff. Set in the 4th century, it is a biographical film about the Roman Emperor Julian, known as Julian the Apostate for his rejection of Christianity. Although Julian's paganism is shown to fail and Christianity to succeed, the portrayal of him is sympathetic. This plays into contemporary Italian discussions about church and state, caused by the gradual abolition of the papal Non Expedit, which previously had prevented Catholics from participating in Italian parliamentary elections. Giuliano l'Apostata follows conventions for Italian peplum films which had been made fashionable by Cabiria from 1914. It is a melodrama with original music by Luigi Mancinelli and set design and costumes by Duilio Cambellotti. The film did not become popular and has received little attention over the years. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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