THEODORA, THE SLAVE EMPRESS (1954). Dubbed in English

THEODORA, THE SLAVE EMPRESS (Italian: Teodora, IMPERATRICE DI BYZANZIO) is a 1954 film about Theodora, a former slave who married Justinian I, emperor of Byzantium in AD 527–565. It was directed by Riccardo Freda.

PLOT:
Teodora, a Roman courtesan and former slave girl, marries the Roman emperor Justinian and assumes the throne as Empress of Rome. But the divide between nobility and slave is too great. Teodora seeks justice for her people, and revolution and armed conflict erupt in both Byzantium and Rome.
The iconic image of Theodora, Empress of Byzantium, looks down from the mosaic in the Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna. It is hard to believe that this imperious figure had once been an 'actress' for want of a better term, in the sleazy pleasure district known as the Hippodrome. Career opportunities for women at that time were somewhat limited so she simply played the game with the cards she was dealt. This movie is full of beautiful women, of course Theodora (a magnificent Gianna Maria Canale) and the treacherous Faidia (Irene Papas!). The general Belisario, (Nerio Bernardi) an accomplice of Theodora, who wants to save the empire, is also worth to be mentioned. The emperor Justinian (Georges Marchal) acts like a fool but sometimes Theodora has also good ideas he must admit. We have a look at the justice of that time, presided by Justinian and in the politics of the blue and the green factions

CAST:
Gianna Maria Canale as "Theodora"
Georges Marchal as "Justinian I"
Renato Baldini as "Arcal", Theodora's would-be lover
Henri Guisol as "Giovanni di Cappadocia"
Irene Papas as "Faida", Theodora's step-sister
Olga Solbelli as "Egina", Theodora's step-mother
Roger Pigaut as "Captain Andres"
Nerio Bernardi as "General Belisarius"
Carletto Sposito as "Scarpios"
Alessandro Fersen as "The Metropolitan"
Release
Theodora, Slave Empress was distributed theatrically in Italy on 29 September 1954 by Lux Film.[1] It grossed a total of 592 million Italian lire on this domestic release.[1]

It was also distributed in France by Lux Compagnie Cinématographique de France as Théodora, impératrice de Byzance.[1] The film was the first of director Riccardo Freda's film to obtain a wide distribution outside Italy.[2]

It was also released in the USA in December, 1954, distributed by Lux Film America as an I.F.E. release. For this occasion, the film was dubbed into English and edited to in its original runtime of 124 minutes. .