Demetrius & the Gladiators (B or 3/4 stars)
'Demetrius and the Gladiators', the sword-&-sandal sequel to 1953's The Robe, sets the tone from the opening scene, when the climax of the earlier film is repeated. Emperor Caligula (Jay Robinson) starts things off by hissing contempt & barking an order of execution for doomed Diana & Marcellus (Jean Simmons, Richard Burton). Peering down from high in a balcony are the Emperor's would-be successor/Uncle Claudius & his younger, hot-blooded wife Messalina (Barry Jones, Susan Hayward.). As Diana directs a slave to give "the robe" of Jesus to "the big fisherman", only Messalina, high up on her balcony, hears these instructions, & the scene fades out; with Franz Waxman's imperious soundtrack blaring & the title credits streaming across the screen.
The story for this film centers on Demetrius (Victor Mature, reprising his role from The Robe); an ex-slave who embraced Christianity after being present at Jesus' Crucifixion. Tossed in prison for defending an old merchant from a sadistic Roman soldier, Demetrius is forced to attend gladiator school (+ Ernest Borgnine) and fight in the vast Roman arena for the amusement of aforementioned Emperor Caligula; a mad, debauched man of wild impulses. Strong & handsome, Demetrius attracts the attention of Messalina (Hayward). After having lost faith in Christ (when Demetrius' lover, played by Debra Paget, is assumably murdered), his faith gets renewed by the apostle Peter (Michael Rennie). Epic M-E-L-O-D-R-A-M-A ensues.
'Demetrius & the Gladiators' is not a Ben-Hur, or The Ten Commandments, or even its predecessor, The Robe. I found this sword-&-sandal epic to be a minor piece of entertainment, but enjoyable nevertheless. I admire the religious miracle theme of the crucifixion. The widescreen color cinematography is lovely. The sets & costumes are magnificent (that said ... most of them are re-used from The Robe, haha). There's some nice use of special effects. Frank Waxman's musical score is rousing & triumphant when it needs to be. There's also a campiness to the proceedings; mostly due to Jay Robinson's over-the-top, effeminate portrayal of Caligula -- he might as well have been costumed as one large twirling moustache; his villainy is THAT in-your-face.
I'm reminded of a scene in which Caligula discovers that 'the robe' does not contain miraculous powers (him loudly commanding a prisoner he just murdered to rise - all while wearing the robe - is quite funny, actually. The way he skulks over the body & screams at it, all for nothing to have happened, is hysterical). Also funny is that way he orders Strabo to kill Demetrius in the gladiatorial arena. Speaking of the arena, the 3-tiger fight scenes are well-choreographed (especially for the time). Victor Mature looks the part of Demetrius; that's basically all I can say about him, though. His acting skills, whatever they may be, were not put to much use.
Susan Hayward is always appealing. I enjoyed her wicked temptress turn. But I almost wish she went bigger with it. Messalina was 'apparently' known for being a nymphomaniac; and you just get fleeting nuances about that from Hayward. Though, I'm sure the Hollywood conduct code of the 1950s prevented her from going much further than she did. Debra Paget makes for a beautiful pottery girl. I find it humorous that her hair & make-up was very, shall we say, Hollywood glamour; even if the story is set 2,000 years ago. In her 1st movie role(!), Anne Bancroft leaves a small, but potent impression. And Julie Newmar makes an appearance as a court dancer. So yeah, overall, I was consistently entertained; even when that entertainment came from aspects of the film that had nothing to do with the story.
The story for this film centers on Demetrius (Victor Mature, reprising his role from The Robe); an ex-slave who embraced Christianity after being present at Jesus' Crucifixion. Tossed in prison for defending an old merchant from a sadistic Roman soldier, Demetrius is forced to attend gladiator school (+ Ernest Borgnine) and fight in the vast Roman arena for the amusement of aforementioned Emperor Caligula; a mad, debauched man of wild impulses. Strong & handsome, Demetrius attracts the attention of Messalina (Hayward). After having lost faith in Christ (when Demetrius' lover, played by Debra Paget, is assumably murdered), his faith gets renewed by the apostle Peter (Michael Rennie). Epic M-E-L-O-D-R-A-M-A ensues.
'Demetrius & the Gladiators' is not a Ben-Hur, or The Ten Commandments, or even its predecessor, The Robe. I found this sword-&-sandal epic to be a minor piece of entertainment, but enjoyable nevertheless. I admire the religious miracle theme of the crucifixion. The widescreen color cinematography is lovely. The sets & costumes are magnificent (that said ... most of them are re-used from The Robe, haha). There's some nice use of special effects. Frank Waxman's musical score is rousing & triumphant when it needs to be. There's also a campiness to the proceedings; mostly due to Jay Robinson's over-the-top, effeminate portrayal of Caligula -- he might as well have been costumed as one large twirling moustache; his villainy is THAT in-your-face.
I'm reminded of a scene in which Caligula discovers that 'the robe' does not contain miraculous powers (him loudly commanding a prisoner he just murdered to rise - all while wearing the robe - is quite funny, actually. The way he skulks over the body & screams at it, all for nothing to have happened, is hysterical). Also funny is that way he orders Strabo to kill Demetrius in the gladiatorial arena. Speaking of the arena, the 3-tiger fight scenes are well-choreographed (especially for the time). Victor Mature looks the part of Demetrius; that's basically all I can say about him, though. His acting skills, whatever they may be, were not put to much use.
Susan Hayward is always appealing. I enjoyed her wicked temptress turn. But I almost wish she went bigger with it. Messalina was 'apparently' known for being a nymphomaniac; and you just get fleeting nuances about that from Hayward. Though, I'm sure the Hollywood conduct code of the 1950s prevented her from going much further than she did. Debra Paget makes for a beautiful pottery girl. I find it humorous that her hair & make-up was very, shall we say, Hollywood glamour; even if the story is set 2,000 years ago. In her 1st movie role(!), Anne Bancroft leaves a small, but potent impression. And Julie Newmar makes an appearance as a court dancer. So yeah, overall, I was consistently entertained; even when that entertainment came from aspects of the film that had nothing to do with the story.