A Slave's Love
About A Slave's Love
In Athens, the rich Polymos lies bored on his couch, pushing away merchants and their bronzes. His wife Chrysis sends in the slave dancer Chloé. Polymos falls for her; Chrysis drives the girl out, then later has her jailed and orders her to drink hemlock. Chloé rises for one last dance and collapses. Polymos drinks the same poison and dies in her arms while Chrysis watches.
Cast & crew
More about A Slave's Love
Albert Capellani directed the picture for Pathé Frères. French filmographies also credit him with the scenario; the Library of Congress record names Michel Carré as writer. The Pathé supplement for May 1907 lists the film at 210 meters, 160 of them colored. It opened on 17 May 1907.
Themes
Making
The surviving Library of Congress summary is a translation of the description in Films Pathé frères, supplément, May 1907, pages 202–203. Pathé Frères handled both production and distribution.
Technique
35mm, shot for the 1.33:1 frame, and released partly hand-colored.
Music
Silent, with French intertitles. About 160 of the 210 meters were released in color.
Preservation
An incomplete print is in the Library of Congress AFI/Fred Tempereau Collection. The main title, the credits, and part of the picture are missing, and the reel ends abruptly.
Notes
- The French title is Amour d'esclave, not a Roman story: the Pathé catalogue sets it in Athens, with the Piraeus on the horizon.
- Rose Ridde is credited as the dancing slave. Gabriel Moreau, Darenne Bennard, and Georges Dorival are also in the cast, without published role names.
- A dream passage has Chloé dancing while fauns in the trees play lute and cithara.
- Footage was reused in the 2011 compilation Albert Capellani: Un cinema di grandeur 1905-1911.
Scenes
- Chloé dances slowly in a floating dress, arms ringed with gold, and Polymos rises toward her until Chrysis pushes between them.
- After the hemlock, Chloé dances once more, the veil beating like a wing, then falls; Polymos drinks and dies in her arms.
Also available
- Internet Archive (silent-a-slaves-love)
