Giuliano l'apostata (1919)

Directed by

Ugo Falena

Genre

silent film

Country

Italy

Runtime

1h 42m

Elsewhere

IMDb

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

• The Race to the Throne (1919)
• The Conqueror of the World (1919)
• Corazón de hierro y corazón de oro (1919)
• The Sphinx (1919)
• A Doll Wife (1919)
• Bel ami (1919)
• Redenzione (1919)
• Tortured Soul (1919)