Did you people see the same film I saw?

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It's amazing how fast cinema progressed--only about twenty years ago, films were new and consisted of no plot at all--not only this, they were only about a minute long each! Now, here in 1914 we're witnessing a 2-hour spectacle by the Italian filmmaker Giovanni Pastrone that is so sophisticated that at times it gets rather confusing. There are a couple special effects here and there as well as great sets and cool costumes, and put together we've got a pretty fascinating film that met with great success.Despite the title, however, Cabiria is certainly not the main focus here; in fact, we don't even see her for half the film. There are all these different story lines that merge into one as the film continues. While very watchable today, some viewers will find it confusing and a bit dull--but that's only because most people can't sit through two hours of silent film. Probably the film's main issue in terms of story-telling is that it is a little hard to follow. We switch locations constantly, and here and there they throw in pieces of history. Closeups are included, but many of the shots are medium length. What really makes it groundbreaking is its use of panning shots. Panning such as this was rarely used even by 1914 and at times we seem to be approaching the characters which is something I believe I've never seen before in the silent era.Cabiria, the young girl of the title, and her nurse, Croessa, are quite happy when a volcanic eruption of Mt Etna occurs which forces the village to retreat. Pirates discover them, they are sent to become sacrifices for Moloche. But, by the help of two Roman spies, Cabiria is saved--and after this little is heard of her. As for the rest of the movie, we've got all these other story lines and then they eventually build up to the finale.Like I said, a tad confusing at times, but amazing for 1914 and you can see what they mean when they say Griffith turned "The Mother and the Law" into "Intolerance". A real step forward in filmmaking.

The film that is said to inspire G.W. Griffith to make his Intolerance is a very visually beautiful film.The costume work, the atmosphere and the locations are very impressive. Since the lack of innovative movie techniques that, thought was invented, but not quite used here makes the angels very static.The lack of close-ups gives us a hard time to feel strongly for the characters or even give them the characteristic symbols we are so used of today. It also is extremely story-based and rely heavily on inter-titles. I like the story, thought it do have some flaws. The epic storytelling ain't good enough to keep us engaged throughout the whole movie and I think the lack of sympathy or the boiling feeling of tragedy is a big loss in a movie which focus on realism.I love the placement of the camera angels that match the background aesthetics. It's things like that, which make the feature enjoyable with the very basics of film technique.

The splendid set design back in 1914, which would obviously influence Griffith's Intolerance a few years later, is worth watching. Other than that, as a work in the dawn of film history, Cabiria inevitably suffers several flaws. Comprising exclusively medium and long shots (with absolutely no close-ups), the film should have relied on engaging storytelling, but it just progresses tediously. As a title role, Cabiria should have appeared on the screen more, but she serves as a catalyst and stays behind the scene for most time.Versatile solo piano on the soundtrack (which is, according to the credit of "1990 alternate version" I watched, "Piano Score recorded by Jacques Ganthier, based on the original 1914 score," which I assume is composed by Manlio Mazza) imitates Classical composers in various eras, from Bach to Beethoven to Schumann to Brahms to Debussy, and is quite enjoyable by itself.

Silent films don't have much of an audience these days. Be that as it may, I would like to recommend this film as a hugely influential costume epic that had great influence over the likes of D.W. Griffith (who did Intolerence right after!), Cecil B. DeMille, and even Fritz Lang (when he did Metropolis). Sure, it's long and it's got one of those convuluted plotlines typical of the period and historically it's crap, but the sets and costumes have to be seen to be believed! The scale of things is just fantastic, with giant temples and houses, all sorts of huge rooms and decoration all over anything, and hundreds and hundreds of extras with fabulous costumes, all done in pastiche of styles that range from Egyptian to Babylonian to this whole weird Indian look, although it's all set in North Africa. Then there's the melodramatic acting, which really can't be judged by today's standards, as there are few subtitles of dialogue, only very grand and wordy intertitles summarzing the plot and offering odes to gods and goddesses. This movie is a must-see if you're studying the history of epic films, early full-length movie, Griffith, etc., and even if you're not, it's a hoot (at least until half-way through, at which point you may decide you've had enough of the plot and can guess the rest.)