Richard Wagner - Silent Wagner

The Life and Works of Richard Wagner, directed by Carl Frohlich, was originally released on 20th November 1913. It was the first ever 'bio-pic', and as such was about who else but Wagner? What is extraordinary, however, is that it pre-dates D.W.Griffiths and Birth of a Nation, usually described as the first 'long' silent, at a time when most silents ran for 10 minutes at the outside. Frohlich's film runs for over 80 minutes.