The Million Dollar Film That Shocked Hollywood with Its First Nude Scene!

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Today, films with million-dollar budgets and nudity are so common that they seem ordinary. However, these concepts were once entirely foreign to both filmmakers and viewers. This shift started with a single movie – the 1916 silent film “A Daughter of the Gods,” directed by Herbert Brenon. In this three-hour fantasy epic, Annette Kellerman, a renowned Australian swimmer, portrayed a young goddess pursued by an evil witch and a sorrowful sultan seeking to revive his deceased son. The movie’s most memorable scene features Kellermann frolicking without clothes near a waterfall, although her long hair mostly concealed her chest. Despite this partial coverage, the scene is considered one of the earliest examples of nudity in cinema history.

Unfortunately, the entire movie no longer exists. However, some images from the movie, combined with primary resources dating back to 1916, offer an intriguing peek into the film’s creation and impact. Interestingly, the massive budget it required stirred up more debate than the content of the film, which was groundbreaking in its explicitness at the time.

Why Did the Film End Up Costing a Million Dollars?

The making of the movie “A Daughter of the Gods,” primarily filmed in Jamaica, is shown to have been a lavishly funded production, as detailed in an article from Motion Picture News published in November 1916. It was reported that more than 21,000 individuals were involved in producing the film, with many serving as extras portraying mermaids and harem dancers. William Fox, head of the Fox Film Corporation, even created a separate town in Jamaica to accommodate the large cast and crew. Additionally, the team spent months constructing an entire Moorish city, the construction costing $350,000 alone, which ultimately gets destroyed in the film’s final scenes.

It’s uncertain if the movie’s initial budget was set at $1 million, or if it grew to that amount during production. While a Motography piece suggests that Fox Studios initially planned a $1 million budget, film historian Frank Thompson claims in his book, “Lost Films: Important Movies That Disappeared” (1996), that Fox was angered by the overspending, allegedly even erasing Brenon’s name from the credits. This suggests there might have been some creative license taken in the Motography article, perhaps for promotional purposes.

It’s possible that the film didn’t actually cost a million dollars to produce initially. An article from Variety in 1925 reported the total production costs as only $850,000. The budget exceeded one million when considering distribution expenses. In essence, similar to the story of Fox and Brenon’s supposed meeting, the million-dollar figure might have been exaggerated for promotional reasons.

How Did People React to the Nude Scene?

Before starring in “A Daughter of the Gods,” Annette Kellerman had already made a name for herself. At the tender age of 18, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. She was also known for her daring advocacy for a modern bathing suit design that aimed to free women from the restrictive garments and pants they were expected to wear at the beach and while swimming. Kellerman championed the one-piece bathing suit, and legend has it that she was arrested for wearing one on Boston’s Revere Beach in 1907. After these suits became socially acceptable, they came to be known as Annette Kellerman Sun-Kist swimsuits from 1914 until the 1930s.

As a movie enthusiast, I find myself captivated by Kellerman’s character, deeply connected to the element of water. Just before her iconic role in A Daughter of the Gods, she mesmerized the nation with her portrayal as the lead in the film Neptune’s Daughter, directed by Brenon. This masterpiece was created merely two years prior, in 1914, and boasted a production budget of $50,000. Yet, it managed to rake in an impressive sum of over $1 million at the box office. Thus, A Daughter of the Gods can be perceived as expanding upon this successful formula, while simultaneously introducing something fresh—a daring element of nudity.

It could be assumed that the initial nudity scene in a Hollywood film would spark significant controversy and censorship. However, this doesn’t appear to have transpired. Intriguingly, as per Motion Picture News, not only was the movie approved without any alterations by the National Board of Review, but they also sent Fox a commendatory letter for sticking to their rules. (It’s worth mentioning here that the Hays Code, which prohibited explicit sexual content in American films, was still six years away from being formulated).

Beyond what’s been said, it’s noted in “The Moving Picture World” that the movie was appreciated by numerous prominent figures from high society, including President Woodrow Wilson and media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, who praised it as “a marvelous film.” Considering its absence of censorship and prestigious audience, it appears the general public found the film’s racy elements quite appealing. Although it seems unlikely that “A Daughter of the Gods” will resurface soon, various stills and promotional materials for the movie are available online. You can view a portion of it right here:

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2025-01-18 19:01