Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
Country: US
Technical: col/scope 101m
Director: Delmer Daves
Cast: Victor Mature, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie, Jay Robinson, Debra Paget, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Egan
Synopsis:
The robe of Christ is passed to Demetrius for safekeeping, but he is captured and sent to gladiator school by Caligula, who wants the robe because he believes it will confer eternal life. Meanwhile Demetrius has caught the eye of Messalina, wife of the emperor's uncle Claudius.
Review:
This handsome sequel to The Robe has no scenes to pack the emotional punch of Burton's breakdown in the village square in Judaea. The religiosity is severely damaged by Demetrius's unconvincing renouncement of his God after one unverified outrage turns him into a one-man sex and killing machine, though the enthronement of Claudius at the end is neatly designed to take the weight off the Christians for a while and provide a happy ending. We don't believe Messalina's conversion for a minute, thanks to a throwaway closing of the eyes by Susan Hayward. Part of the problem is Paget, who is too colourless a love interest to justify all the power she wields over our stalwart hero. Then there are the cringe-making lapses of authenticity: the despatching of four tigers with barely a scratch (Daniel in the Lions' Den?), Caligula's promotion of Demetrius from gladiator to tribune of the Guard (so potty he might have done such a thing, actually), the spontaneous regicide at the end. But these are acceptable parts of the genre, which is just a bit of fun after all; no, what is less forgivable is the bloodlessness of it all, in both senses. Spartacus came far closer to a convincing portrayal of single combat, and as such the seminal status of Demetrius cannot be underestimated. In subject matter as well as melodrama this is closer in spirit to the Italian peplum than its reverential forebear.
Country: US
Technical: col/scope 101m
Director: Delmer Daves
Cast: Victor Mature, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie, Jay Robinson, Debra Paget, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Egan
Synopsis:
The robe of Christ is passed to Demetrius for safekeeping, but he is captured and sent to gladiator school by Caligula, who wants the robe because he believes it will confer eternal life. Meanwhile Demetrius has caught the eye of Messalina, wife of the emperor's uncle Claudius.
Review:
This handsome sequel to The Robe has no scenes to pack the emotional punch of Burton's breakdown in the village square in Judaea. The religiosity is severely damaged by Demetrius's unconvincing renouncement of his God after one unverified outrage turns him into a one-man sex and killing machine, though the enthronement of Claudius at the end is neatly designed to take the weight off the Christians for a while and provide a happy ending. We don't believe Messalina's conversion for a minute, thanks to a throwaway closing of the eyes by Susan Hayward. Part of the problem is Paget, who is too colourless a love interest to justify all the power she wields over our stalwart hero. Then there are the cringe-making lapses of authenticity: the despatching of four tigers with barely a scratch (Daniel in the Lions' Den?), Caligula's promotion of Demetrius from gladiator to tribune of the Guard (so potty he might have done such a thing, actually), the spontaneous regicide at the end. But these are acceptable parts of the genre, which is just a bit of fun after all; no, what is less forgivable is the bloodlessness of it all, in both senses. Spartacus came far closer to a convincing portrayal of single combat, and as such the seminal status of Demetrius cannot be underestimated. In subject matter as well as melodrama this is closer in spirit to the Italian peplum than its reverential forebear.
Country: US
Technical: col/scope 101m
Director: Delmer Daves
Cast: Victor Mature, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie, Jay Robinson, Debra Paget, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Egan
Synopsis:
The robe of Christ is passed to Demetrius for safekeeping, but he is captured and sent to gladiator school by Caligula, who wants the robe because he believes it will confer eternal life. Meanwhile Demetrius has caught the eye of Messalina, wife of the emperor's uncle Claudius.
Review:
This handsome sequel to The Robe has no scenes to pack the emotional punch of Burton's breakdown in the village square in Judaea. The religiosity is severely damaged by Demetrius's unconvincing renouncement of his God after one unverified outrage turns him into a one-man sex and killing machine, though the enthronement of Claudius at the end is neatly designed to take the weight off the Christians for a while and provide a happy ending. We don't believe Messalina's conversion for a minute, thanks to a throwaway closing of the eyes by Susan Hayward. Part of the problem is Paget, who is too colourless a love interest to justify all the power she wields over our stalwart hero. Then there are the cringe-making lapses of authenticity: the despatching of four tigers with barely a scratch (Daniel in the Lions' Den?), Caligula's promotion of Demetrius from gladiator to tribune of the Guard (so potty he might have done such a thing, actually), the spontaneous regicide at the end. But these are acceptable parts of the genre, which is just a bit of fun after all; no, what is less forgivable is the bloodlessness of it all, in both senses. Spartacus came far closer to a convincing portrayal of single combat, and as such the seminal status of Demetrius cannot be underestimated. In subject matter as well as melodrama this is closer in spirit to the Italian peplum than its reverential forebear.