''Theodora'' ( it, Teodora) is a 1921 Italian silent film dramatization of the life of the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

empress

Theodora Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift". Theodora may also refer to: Historical figures known as Theodora Byzantine empresses * Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church * Theodora o ...

Plot

Theodora, a Roman courtesan and former slave girl, marries the Byzantine emperor

Justinian Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...

and assumes the throne as Empress of Rome. However, a love affair with a handsome Greek leads to revolution and armed conflict in both Byzantium and Rome.

Cast

Rita Jolivet Marguerite Lucile Jolivet (25 September 1884 – 2 March 1971), known professionally as Rita Jolivet, was a British actress in theatre and silent films in the early 20th century. She was known in private life as the Countess Marguerita de C ...

as Teodora Augusta *

Ferruccio Biancini Ferruccio Biancini (18 August 1890 – 19 March 1955) was an Italian film actor, producer, screenwriter, and director. He appeared in 15 films between 1916 and 1950. He was born in Pomponesco, Lombardy and died in Rome. Selected filmogr ...

as Justinian *René Maupré as Andreas *Emilia Rosini as Antonina *Adolfo Trouché as

Belisarius Belisarius (; el, Βελισάριος; The exact date of his birth is unknown. – 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean terri ...

*Mariano Bottino as Marcellus *Guido Marciano as Boia principale *Marie Belfiore as Tamyris *Giovanni Motta as Buzes *Leo Sorinello as Mara *G. Rosetti as Amru *Luigi Rinaldi as Calcante *Alfredo as Philo *Alfredo Bertoncelli as Euphrata *Giuliano Gardini as Cospiratore *François Renard as Cospiratore *Pietro Ferrari as Cospiratore *Alberto Belfiore as Cospiratore

Production

To aid the directorial staff, miniatures of all the sets to be constructed were made, allowing the staff to work out the grouping of the thousands of extras and the camera angles and lighting for the scenes.

References

External links

* * 1921 films 1920s Italian-language films Italian films based on plays Films based on works by Victorien Sardou Films set in the 6th century Films set in the Byzantine Empire 1921 drama films Italian silent feature films Biographical films about Roman emperors Cultural depictions of Justinian I Cultural depictions of Theodora I Italian black-and-white films {{Italy-silent-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Production

See also

References

External links