Cabiria

Cabiria, a lively young girl, is captured by pirates and sold into slavery in ancient Carthage. Her safe childhood dissolves into danger as she is yanked from one hostile environment to another and forced to endure a brutal social order. A benevolent Roman spy named Fulvius Axilla and his powerful slave Maciste intervene, pulling Cabiria from a trap and giving her a chance at safety. The rescue unites and then separates them, with Cabiria entrusted to a noblewoman while Fulvius and Maciste hurry toward Rome to continue their fight. The bond among the trio remains tested as each pursues survival, and hope lingers as their bonds are tested.

Directed by Giovanni Pastrone, Cabiria arrived in 1914 as an ambitious Italian silent epic. The film's story credits include Emilio Salgari, Titus Livius, and Gabriele D'Annunzio, signaling a literary and theatrical influence behind the production. It features Carolina Catena as Cabiria in youth and Lidia Quaranta as Cabiria as an adult, with Gina Marangoni as Croessa.

Critics of the era and later scholars view Cabiria as a landmark in silent cinema for its scale and ambition. Its themes touch on empire and subjugation, courage under oppression, and the cost of loyalty. The film invites audiences to observe power structures and personal bravery.

The film helped define the epic mode with sweeping crowds, grand sets, and bold staging that influenced later international cinema and the way directors imagined large scale stories. Its lineage can be traced in later silent epics and even modern cinema in spirit.

Box office data from 1914 is not reliably documented, but Cabiria drew international audiences and helped broaden Italian cinema's reach.