Judith of Bethulia

Griffith's first feature picture after producing more than 400 short subjects for Biograph. It's the biblical drama about the siege of the Jewish city of Bethulia and how an heroic woman saves her people. When the Assyrian commander Holofernes lays siege to the city, he captures its wells knowing he has only to wait for the food and water to run out and the city will be his. Judith, a wealthy widow, disguises herself as a camp follower, infiltrates his headquarters, captivates Holofernes, and when he collapses in a drunken stupor during a night of revelry, she beheads him. The sight of his severed head so demoralises his troops and revives the spirit of the city that the Jews rise up and rout the enemy.