The picture climaxes with a view of Benito Mussolini, Italy’s then Prime Minister, on the balcony of the royal palace, beside the king, reviewing the entrance of his troops into the city. The story, based on Hall Caine’s 1901 novel, The Eternal City, was modernized to reflect post-World War I Italy.
       On 24 February 1923, Motion Picture News announced that Samuel Goldwyn had purchased screen rights to Caine’s novel. Scenarist Ouida Bergère was soon to be en route to England, where she planned to consult with Caine on the screenplay. Bergère’s then husband, George Fitzmaurice, was slated to direct. According to a 10 May 1923 Variety brief, Fitzmaurice had recently walked off the set of The Cheat (1923, see entry) with only half the film completed, and was replaced on that production by Frank O’Connor.
       Although the 10 May 1923 Variety indicated that Samuel Goldwyn was in talks with Alma Rubens to play the female lead, Barbara La Marr’s casting as “Donna Roma” had previously been announced in the 17 April 1923 Film Daily. The 22 May 1923 Film Daily later reported that Bert Lytell had replaced David Powell in the cast, and listed H. H. Bruenner as the production manager. The cast and crew were scheduled to sail to Europe on 2 June 1923, as principal photography was set to take place in Rome, Italy.
       Filming commenced in Rome on 19 June 1923, as announced in the 14 July 1923 Camera. Ouida Bergère was said to be finishing the script at an Italian villa owned by the writer Arnold Bennett; meanwhile, the cast were staying at the Grand Hotel in Rome. The production received permission to shoot at numerous landmarks, including the Colosseum, the Forum, the Roman Baths, Saint Peter’s Square, and the Old and New Appian Way; in exchange, Fitzmaurice agreed to provide the Italian government with an early finished print of the film, as stated in the 17 November 1923 Motion Picture News. An article in the 1 September 1923 Camera noted that Barbara La Marr was introduced to Italy’s royal family during filming, including King Victor Emanuel and Queen Margarita. Following the completion of filming in Rome, cast and crew returned to the U.S. for five weeks of interior shooting in New York City, beginning in late August 1923, according to the 21 August 1923 Film Daily. The 16 September 1923 issue claimed that another ten days of work remained, and Fitzmaurice was now shooting at the Tilford Studio.
       A 10 September 1923 Film Daily news brief reported that Goldwyn Pictures Corp., with whom producer Samuel Goldwyn had parted ways, were suing Goldwyn to keep him from using his name on future projects, including The Eternal City. The plaintiff contended that over $2.4 million had been spent “exploiting the name of the corporation,” and therefore Goldwyn should not be able to use it on outside projects. Advertisements for The Eternal City ultimately touted Samuel Goldwyn as presenter, but included the following parenthetical after his name: “Not now connected with Goldwyn Pictures.”
       A preview screening took place the week of 17 November 1923 at the Strand Theatre in New York City, according to the 24 November 1923 Motion Picture News. The 1 December 1923 issue claimed that the world premiere occurred on 19 November 1923 at the Regent Theatre in Paterson, NJ. Another early opening in Rochester, NY, ended its run on 1 December 1923, as noted in that day’s Democrat and Chronicle. A general release date of 17 December 1923 was cited in the 29 October 1923 Film Daily; however, later items, including an Associated First National Pictures advertisement in the 8 December 1923 Motion Picture News, listed a general release on 21 January 1924. In the meantime, the 22 December 1923 Motion Picture News stated that John Emerson and Anita Loos had been hired to edit The Eternal City into “its final shape,” suggesting that the picture may have been altered between earlier releases and the January 1924 opening.
       This film was considered lost until the discovery of its final two reels in 2006 at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. The extant reels, a total of twenty-eight minutes in length, showed Benito Mussolini in a performance deemed “the first appearance of the Duce, which is evident, on the big screen as the protagonist of a fiction,” as stated in a 12 October 2014 EFE News Service item. The partial film was screened at the 2014 Silent Film Conference in Pordenone, Italy.