{{Other uses|Life of Moses (disambiguation){{!}}Life of Moses}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox film | name =The Life of Moses | image = The-Life-of-Moses-1909.jpg | caption = | director = J. Stuart Blackton | producer = Madison L. Peters | writer = | narrator = | starring = {{ubl|Pat Hartigan|Julia Arthur|William J. Humphrey}} | music = | editing = | cinematography = | studio = Vitagraph Company of America | distributor = Vitagraph Company of America | released = {{Film date|1909|12|04}} | runtime = 50 minutes (5 reels) | country = United States | language = {{ubl|Silent|English intertitles}} | budget = | gross = }} '''''The Life of Moses''''' is a 1909 American silent epic film directed by J. Stuart Blackton and starring Pat Hartigan, Julia Arthur and William J. Humphrey. A portrayal of the biblical story of Moses, it was one of a number of prestige film based on historical or religious subjects made during the era.
It was produced by the Vitagraph Company, a leading early film studio. Relating five different events in Moses' life, it lasted five reels. It met great resistance from movie theater owners, who preferred shorter films that allowed them to change their audience much faster. Although often shown in five separate parts, the successful screening of the entire film in single sittings was influential in the gradual move away from short one or two reel films towards feature film production.<ref>Dewey pp. 134–137</ref>
==Cast== * Pat Hartigan as Moses * Julia Arthur * William J. Humphrey * Charles Kent * Edith Storey
==Preservation status== The film is preserved in the Library of Congress collection.<ref>''Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artist Collection'', (<-book title) p.103 c.1978 by The American Film Institute</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==Bibliography== * Dewey, Donald. ''Buccaneer: James Stuart Blackton and the Birth of American Movies''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.
==External links== * {{IMDb title|0001285}}
{{J. Stuart Blackton}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Life of Moses}} Category:1909 films Category:1909 drama films Category:1909 American films Category:1909 English-language films Category:American black-and-white films Category:American silent feature films Category:English-language drama films Category:Films based on the Book of Exodus Category:Films directed by J. Stuart Blackton Category:Portrayals of Moses in film Category:American silent drama films Category:Silent epic films Category:Surviving American silent films Category:Vitagraph Studios films Category:1909 biographical films