Chapters 1-9 Summary and Analysis

Chapter one, "The Purple Dawn" begins with the creation of the set for Belshazzar's feast. The extravagant court of Belshazzar was dominated by eight white plaster elephants as ordered by DW Griffith, the "movie director as God." The purpose was to have the elephants tower over "Illusion City." The scene required an unheard of 4000 extras paid the astronomical sum of two dollars per day. It was Griffith's Babylon. The birth of the colossal court took place in 1915 and was the impetus of what is known as the Purple Epoch. The set stood through the rise and fall of many, even after the Los Angeles Fire Department condemned it as a fire hazard. This is also the period when actors became more than hired help; they became stars. Should the stars get bored, there was always "joy powder" or cocaine...