The Roman Orgy (1911)

Instant Favorite.

Good idea lost in the noise

Charming and brutal

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Directed by the great silent cinema pioneer Louis Feuillade (a man with a highly prolific career, directing everything from crime serials to romantic dramas), this is a brief and highly interesting small scale Roman epic. It isn't among the finest works of this era, but it certainly is a fascinating historical document with plenty of merits. It showcases some early use of tinting as well as the Ancient Rome epic-even if it is on a highly small scale-and is visually interesting. Using many neat backgrounds and special effects methods, Feuillade has created a historical universe here similar to the magical lands of Georges Melies. The surrealism and whimsical fantasy does not seem to be intended here, but that seems to make it all the more enchanting. I would also like to note one scene that really caught my eye in which a man is sent to be killed by lions, and we see him being thrown into the pit of lions. Real lions were used in this scene, and it thrilled me a surprising amount when I saw the man running off camera from them. Just a brief moment showing off the magic of early cinema.

Is this the short Louis Feuillade spectacle (well mildly spectacular) where the transvestite emperor has his slave fed to the lions he turns loose on the orgy lot before the Pretorian guard take his head? Mainly one shot one scene, with the most inventive touch being staging the upper and lower frame as the Imperial party and the victims below.The golden areas in the shot are tinted - stencil colour?A ten line coverage of this film will take longer to read than the filmlet does to watch. Does anyone really want that? I mean anyone?Anyone?

L'orgie romaine (1911) *** (out of 4) Simple but fun French film takes place in Rome, 218 AD as Elagabalus enjoys being treated as the master he is as countless women take care of him. This ranges from them doing his clothes and giving him a bath. In one of the film's best moments, a servant accidentally scratched Elagabalus so he sends the guy to the lion pits where he's eaten before everyone goes back to the orgy (or more of a party). Those expecting some nudity of dirty stuff will be disappointed as the title is quite misleading but I'm going to guess it was used to get some folks into the theater expecting something more naughty. What is here is a pleasant little gem that gives us a fake history lesson in just eight-minutes. Director Feuillade manages to pack quite a bit into the short running time but there's no question the highlight is the lion's den, which actually manages to contain some mild suspense even though we know the actor is in no real danger. Another highlight comes towards the end when the always joking Elagabalus lets the lions join the party. The final five-minutes of this film are hand colored and it looks very good. Another major plus are the wonderful sets and nice costumes. Fans of early cinema will certainly want to check this one out.

While this film set in ancient Rome is NOT nearly on par with contemporary films on the subject (such as the early versions of "Quo Vadis?" and "Maciste"), I was very impressed because the film makers had a lot of nice costumes and sets (for 1911) and, believe it or not, lions running around the set!! Yes...LIONS!! Cool, certainly, but unfortunately not enough to make this a must-see film! The film begins with Emperor Héliogabale (or "Elagabal" or "Heliogabalus") putting on a weird fashion show. Then you see him act cruel and petty until eventually his own soldiers kill him. But, most importantly, there is NOT ONE BIT OF ROMAN ORGY to be found in this film! Anyone wanting to see nudity or debauchery should look elsewhere! Overall, the film looked nice but came off as episodic and disappointing (not just because of the lack of salaciousness).