The Temptation of St. Anthony is a religious-themed work from the early days of silent film. It draws on the story of Saint Anthony's temptation-a subject often revisited throughout the history of art and literature-which depicts the trials and demonic temptations faced by Saint Anthony the Great during his time in the Egyptian desert. Here, we're looking at one of the first-if not the very first-cinematic depictions of this event. In this short black-and-white film, a man praying in front of a crucified Jesus statue is tested by ever more beautiful women, who appear out of nowhere and vanish back into nothingness. Eventually, even the religious artifacts and angelic figures transform into tempting and seductive women, leaving the man in desperation. I'm not sure what the audience for this film was at the time it was created, but the religious context suggests it may have been intended for a special occasion-perhaps Easter-or for a specific audience, such as a parish community. Either way, it's an interesting piece of cinematic history that plays with visual tricks achieved by stopping and restarting the camera after objects were placed or removed from the stage.
