By Order of the Emperor
"Sebastian survives martyrdom to rebuke the Emperor's cruelty."
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About this film
Roman centurion Sebastian sympathizes with persecuted Christians, converts, and is denounced to the Emperor; after surviving an arrow ordeal he confronts the ruler over his cruelty—released in Britain as By Order of the Emperor.
More about this film
About the production
Themes
Themes & topics
Historical background
Made in 1911, in Kingdom of Italy, By Order of the Emperor belongs to historical film filmmaking amid the silent era's rapid stylistic experiments.
Why this film matters
Within historical film history, surviving prints help researchers study silent-era craft; 1911 Italian silent film.
Making of
Open sources chiefly list credits.
What critics said
Contemporary reviews of By Order of the Emperor are sparse in open sources; later catalog entries chiefly summarize plot and credits.
Did you know?
- Production company: Milano Films.
What audiences thought
Audience documentation for By Order of the Emperor is limited; availability today depends on archive and streaming copies.
Film restoration
Preservation status should be confirmed against archive holdings.
Where to watch
- Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San%20Sebastiano%20(1911).webm