"From the Manger to the Cross" is noteworthy for being an early feature-length film. Otherwise, it's a static passion play. Read the Bible if you want some craft or entertainment. Even the 1903 Pathé "The Life and Passion of Christ" was better made (and almost as long). The film is stagy; the camera is stationary, the continuity is in the tableau style. There's nothing special about the acting. Although it was filmed on location in Egypt and Palestine, director Sidney Olcott and cinematographer George K. Hollister lacked the knowledge to take much advantage of it. There's the Sphinx and the Pyramids, but that's about it. Some interesting short films had already been made by 1912, but it'd be a few years before DeMille, Griffith, Tourneur and others made worthwhile American feature-length films.
Review of From the Manger to the Cross
