10 Famous Lost Films You Wish You Could Watch

Before Elizabeth Taylor helmed that ludicrously expensive 1963 version and brought life and sex symbol status to the Egyptian queen, Theda Bara had already done it once before with her own epic Cleopatra film in 1917.

When Cleopatra was greenlit, it was one of Hollywood's most elaborate and expensive productions at the time. It was a lavish spectacle with numerous large sets, fancy costumes, and over 2000 people employed behind the scenes. 

Not only was the film epic in every sense of the word, but the film also caught considerable press coverage thanks to its leading lady, who had established herself as one of Hollywood's first sex symbols. Due to the lavish and somewhat risque costumes that Bara wore in the film, the press had a field day over the alleged obscenity of the film. In fact, when the Hays Code, Hollywood's industry moral guidelines, was published, Cleopatra was deemed to be too obscene to be shown.

Watching this silent, epic, and boundary-pushing historical film would've been a marvel, but sadly all known copies of the film were lost in the 1937 Fox Studios fire that claimed nearly all of Fox Studios' films made before 1932, including most of Theda Bara's filmography. Needless to say, Fox Studios have been a bit more diligent in film preservation since then.