Soldiers of the Cross (film)

Soldiers of the Cross, also known as Soldiers of the Cross: Australia's First Feature Film, is a 1900 Australian religious film. It is considered one of the earliest feature-length films ever made, running for approximately 63 minutes. The film depicts the persecution of early Christians in the Roman Empire, drawing inspiration from the book From Darkness to Light by Frederic Farrar.

Soldiers of the Cross was a project of the Limelight Department of The Salvation Army in Australia, produced by Herbert Booth and Joseph Perry. It combined staged scenes with hand-tinted lantern slides, narration, and hymns to create a powerful and emotionally engaging experience for audiences. The film was designed as an evangelistic tool, aiming to inspire religious devotion and attract new members to The Salvation Army.

While the film is notable for its length and ambition for its time, it is also significant for its use of innovative filmmaking techniques. The combination of live-action footage and still images was a unique approach, allowing for a richer and more dynamic storytelling experience than traditional lantern slide shows.

Due to the age of the film, only fragments and incomplete versions have survived. These fragments offer a valuable glimpse into early cinema and the role of film in religious and social movements. The surviving materials are held in various archives, including the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.