A Queda da Babilonia

IMDB says that this story was edited from D. W. Griffith's 1916 classic, "Intolerance". However, I think it uses some new material (or material filmed by not included in this epic) as well as many scenes from the previous film. Considering "Intolerance" cost an astronomical sum and had sets that are insanely huge and impressive, clearly the director was trying to squeeze more out of the existing sets.

This story only concerns the final days of the Neo-Babylonian empire. However, surprisingly, the story is NOT based on the fall from the Bible (as you might expect from 1919) but from historical records and a bit of fiction. The story is about a tom-boy who grows to adore the Prince, Belshazzar, and vows to fight for him against the invading Persian army under Cyrus the Great.

The story is mildly enjoyable. But the scope and magnitude of the sets is just overwhelming. It's massive beyond anything they could make today without using lots of CGI...and the case includes thousands. It also employs amazing costumes as well as the sets and the overall production is quite enjoyable and amazing to watch even today. I nearly gave it a 10, though the Princess' acting towards the end was way over the top....so I reduced it to a 9....which still makes it a well made spectacle.