The Fall of Babylon
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
D. W. Griffith
Tully Marshall
Constance Talmadge
Elmer Clifton
Alfred Paget
Carl Stockdale
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Babylonia in 539 B.C. is ruled by Prince Belshazzar and King Nabonidus. Because they worship Ishtar, Goddess of Love, the intolerant High Priest of Bel sends a messenger to Cyrus, king of the Persians, to destroy Babylonia. Meanwhile, a young mountain girl, in town to trade fruit for a dress, delightfully listens to a young poet's songs. She is saved from the Marriage Market by Belshazzar and falls in love with him. At the great feast, she overhears the messenger to Cyrus and follows him. She sees the Persian Army in preparation, steals a chariot and returns to try to warn Belshazzar, but no one takes her seriously. The Persians break through the gates, set the palace on fire and Babylon falls. Belshazzar kills himself to avoid being taken prisoner, while the mountain girl holds his hand and kisses him as he dies. She then wanders sadly into the desert and is comforted by the poet, who leads her to her home.
Director
D. W. Griffith
Cast
Tully Marshall
Constance Talmadge
Elmer Clifton
Alfred Paget
Carl Stockdale
Seena Owen
Loyola O'connor
George Siegmann
Elmo Lincoln
James Curley
Kate Bruce
Howard Scott
Alma Rubens
Ruth Darling
Margaret Mooney
George Fawcett
Mildred Harris
Pauline Stark
Winnifred Westover
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
This film is an amplification of the Babylonian episode of Intolerance (see below) and used discarded footage from the original film. It opened July 21, 1919 at the George M. Cohan Theatre in New York, but May have played earlier in Los Angeles. The presentation at the Cohan Theatre was in two acts and included stage presentations which interrupted the film at various points. A company of dancers and singers accompanied the film to various cities. The film's subtitle was "a purple romance of an ancient day."
