Helen Gardner's independent production was one of the first
feature-length films made in America, a lavish six-reel telling of
Cleopatra's seduction of Caesar and Antony that predates both the
Theda Bara and Claudette Colbert versions. Gardner starred and
produced through her own company, the Helen Gardner Picture Players,
staking her own money on a spectacle with real Egyptian-style sets,
a barge scene, and hundreds of extras. Directed by Charles L.
Gaskill, it was marketed as an event rather than a program filler,
helping convince American audiences and exhibitors that features
were the future. A 1912 release, it is in the public domain.
Drama · History · Silent
