“Cinema is an experimental device that builds - that is, that conceives - an image of the universe.” - Jean Epstein

One of France's first masters of the cinematic avant-garde, Jean Epstein crafted cinema that danced upon the precipice between meaning and nonsense: conceptual and beautiful films that revelled in the sheer experiential wonder of the moving image. Like much of his output, Epstein's 1924 silent masterwork The Lion of the Moguls stands as an almost forgotten treasure.

In the time of India's Mogul kingdom, a young prince (the great silent star Ivan Mosjoukine) is forced to flee to Paris when he falls in love with a princess desired by the Grand Khan. On his arrival, he finds himself hired as an actor only to once again court trouble when he falls for Anna, the lead actress and the lover of the film's producer.

D/S Jean Epstein P Alexandre Kamenka WS Cinémathèque française L French intertitles w/English subtitles TD 35mm/1924

This film has been restored by La Cinémathèque française.