Cabiria (1914) – The First Epic in Film History | Cinema, the Magic Vehicle Podcast
This is an excerpt from the book Cinema, the Magic Vehicle – A Comprehensive Guide
Journey One: 1913–1950
In this episode, we explore Cabiria (1914), the monumental Italian silent film directed by Giovanni Pastrone. Recognized as the first true cinematic epic, Cabiria brought colossal sets, vast crowds, and groundbreaking camera movements to the screen — changing the language of film forever.
Featuring a screenplay by Pastrone with intertitles written by Gabriele D’Annunzio, and photography by Segundo de Chomón, Cabiria tells the story of a young Roman girl kidnapped during the Punic Wars, whose journey unfolds amid grand temples, volcanic eruptions, and legendary battles.
More than just spectacle, Cabiria introduced innovations like tracking shots and arc lighting, later inspiring D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance (1916). Though its literary captions were notoriously overblown, the film remains a milestone — proof that cinema could rival literature and painting in scale and imagination.
Based on Cinema, the Magic Vehicle by Jacek Klinowski and Adam Garbicz, this episode continues our journey through the golden age of early cinema — revealing how the silent era shaped film as art.
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Cinema the Magic Vehicle, film history podcast, italian silent film analysis, early movie innovations, the birth of epic cinema, classic film storytelling, european cinema heritage, film culture UK