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The Last Days of Pompeii (1935)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
18 October 1935 (USA) morePlot:
In the doomed Roman city, a gentle blacksmith becomes a corrupt gladiator, while his son leans toward Christianity. full summary | add synopsisUser Comments:
An Effective Period Piece moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Preston Foster | ... | Marcus | |
| Alan Hale | ... | Burbix | |
| Basil Rathbone | ... | Pontius Pilate | |
| John Wood | ... | Flavius, as a Man | |
| Louis Calhern | ... | Prefect (Allus Martius) | |
| David Holt | ... | Flavius, as a Boy | |
| Dorothy Wilson | ... | Clodia | |
| Wyrley Birch | ... | Leaster | |
| Gloria Shea | ... | Julia | |
| Frank Conroy | ... | Gaius Tanno | |
| William V. Mong | ... | Cleon, the Slave Dealer | |
| Murray Kinnell | ... | Simon, Judean Peasant | |
| Henry Kolker | ... | Warder | |
| Edward Van Sloan | ... | Calvus | |
| Zeffie Tilbury | ... | The Wise Woman |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
96 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (RCA Victor System)Filming Locations:
Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA moreFun Stuff
Trivia:
Despite all the spectacle, the movie was a box-office flop, and required several re-releases (on a double bill with King Kong (1933)) to earn back its cost. moreGoofs:
Anachronisms: The central subplot of the meeting with Jesus is improbable, as Pompeii was destroyed 46 years after his death. Given these dates, Flavius would have been in his mid to late 50's, clearly not the youth in his 20's as portrayed in the film. moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Last Days of Pompeii (1935)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| Alan Hale | tgemberl |
| Rathbone's performance really a standout? | freesharon |
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| Ben-Hur | Quo Vadis | Spartacus | The Last Temptation of Christ | Gli ultimi giorni di Pompeii |
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The Last Days Of Pompeii tells the story of a poor blacksmith in ancient Rome who becomes a gladiator and in turn a wealthy man, while his son, upon encountering Jesus, grows up to become a Christian. The film is a spectacle from the middle thirties, after the De Mille manner, which is to say it tries to look big but is actually, upon closer examination, at best mid-sized. RKO didn't really have the bucks to make a film on as lavish a scale as they surely would have wished. The film has many flaws, but also virtues. It was made by the King Kong team of Ernest Schoedsak and Merian Cooper, who were very resourceful gentlemen, highly creative and not at all like other Hollywood film-makers, and therefore the movie has a unique style that's difficult to put into words. The best way I can describe their approach is to say that it's highly individual; its makers had their own way of doing things, and therefore told their their story, or more properly showed it, so that the movie doesn't resemble other films with similar themes. Also on the plus side is its cast, not of thousands, maybe of hundreds; more likely of dozens. In the leading role Preston Foster's anchors the film in a kind of emotional reality. He may not have been the most versatile of actors but he was a most sincere one, and he is excellent in the lead. Also good is Basil Rathbone as Pontius Pilate, surprisingly unhammy. It's a very good movie overall, hokey as hell but always watchable, and in the end, while the spectacle of Mount Vesuvius erupting isn't all it might be, the movie as whole at least holds firm, and I for one was moved by it, not to tears maybe, but in a more modest way, by the smaller, more intimate tale of a good man who comes to his senses too late, at least for redemption in this world.