Demetrius and the Gladiators

Demetrius and the Gladiators
Demetrius and the Gladiators

Original film poster
Directed by Delmer Daves
Produced by Frank Ross
Written by Philip Dunne
Lloyd C. Douglas
Starring Victor Mature
Susan Hayward
William Marshall
Michael Rennie
Debra Paget
Anne Bancroft
Jay Robinson
Ernest Borgnine
Barry Jones
Richard Egan
Music by Franz Waxman
Cinematography Milton R. Krasner
Editing by Robert Fritch
Dorothy Spencer
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date(s) 18 June 1954
Running time 101 min
Country United States
Language English
Budget $1.99 million[1]
Box office $4.25 million (US rentals)[2]

Demetrius and the Gladiators is a 1954 sword and sandal drama film and a sequel to The Robe. It was made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Delmer Daves and produced by Frank Ross. The screenplay was by Philip Dunne based on characters created by Lloyd C. Douglas in The Robe .

It starred Victor Mature as Demetrius, a Christian slave made to fight in the Roman arena as a gladiator, and Susan Hayward as Messalina. The cast also included Ernest Borgnine, William Marshall, Michael Rennie, Jay Robinson as depraved emperor Caligula, Debra Paget, a young Anne Bancroft in one of her earlier roles and Julie Newmar as a briefly seen dancing entertainer. The film is in color and in Cinemascope, with an English language stereo sound track, and runs for 101 minutes.

Contents

Plot summary

The film begins with a clip from the previous film, showing its central characters Marcellus and Diana going to be martyred for their Christian beliefs on the order of the Emperor Caligula. Before being executed, Diana hands the robe to Marcellus' servant Marcipor, telling him that it is "for the Big Fisherman," meaning Saint Peter, who was a fisherman before being called as an apostle.

Peter hands the robe to Demetrius while at the funeral of Marcellus and Diana before leaving on a journey to live in 'the north'. Caligula becomes interested in the robe, thinking that it is has magic powers and will bring him eternity. He accosts his uncle Claudius, wanting to know what had happened to it.

Demetrius, looking out for his Lucia and the robe and refusing to reveal its location, is arrested for assaulting a Roman soldier, and sentenced to the arena. Meanwhile, Lucia disguises herself to gain entrance to the gladiator school to see Demetrius. However, the two are forcibly separated on orders of Messalina, Claudius' wife, and Lucia is then assaulted by Dardanius and the other gladiators. Demetrius in desperation prays for God to save her, and suddenly it appears that Dardanius has broken Lucia's neck. In anger Demetrius is freed, and allowed to join the Praetorian Guard. Caligula asks if Demetrius renounces Christ; once Demetrius does this Caligula frees him and inducts him into the guard with the rank of Tribune.

As a Tribune, Demetrius rejects the teachings of Christ (and of Isis when encountering Messalina praying to her statue), beginning an affair with Messalina. When Peter comes to visit them, he turns him away too. The affair continues for several months, and eventually Caligula finds out about it.

Demetrius takes the robe to the Emperor, who takes the robe down below to a prisoner. He has the prisoner killed, and tries to resurrect him. Furious that he cannot, Caligula accuses Demetrius of having brought him a fake, and that both the robe and Christ are frauds. Demetrius is taken back to the arena. When the Emperor tries to have Demetrius executed, the Praetorian Guard (already angry at Caligula over worse pay and conditions) finally turns against Caligula and kills first Macro, the prefect of the Praetorian Guard, then Caligula. Claudius is installed as Emperor by the Praetorian Guard almost immediately after Caligula is killed.

Soon after his installation, Claudius says that he is neither a god, nor would he likely become one anytime soon. Claudius says that he maintained the appearance of being weak to survive Caligula's rule, and that he would now take on the role of Emperor to the best of his ability. He gives Demetrius his final orders as a Tribune, to go to Peter and the other Christians, and tell them that as long as they do not act against the Empire that they have nothing to fear from Claudius. Messalina re-vows her constancy to her husband. Demetrius and Glycon take the robe to Peter, and they leave the Imperial palace together.

Cast

References

  1. ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p249
  2. ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p225

External links

v · d · eFilms directed by Delmer Daves
1940s
Destination Tokyo (1943) · The Very Thought of You (1944) · Hollywood Canteen (1944) · Pride of the Marines (1945) · The Red House (1947) · Dark Passage (1947) · To the Victor (1948) · A Kiss in the Dark (1949) · Task Force (1949)
1950s
Broken Arrow (1950) · Bird of Paradise (1951) · Return of the Texan (1952) · Treasure of the Golden Condor (1953) · Never Let Me Go (1953) · Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) · Drum Beat (1954) · Jubal (1956) · The Last Wagon (1956) · 3:10 to Yuma (1957) · Cowboy (1958) · Kings Go Forth (1958) · The Badlanders (1958) · The Hanging Tree (1959) · A Summer Place (1959)
1960s
Parrish (1961) · Susan Slade (1961) · Rome Adventure (1962) · Spencer's Mountain (1963) · Youngblood Hawke (1964) · The Battle of the Villa Fiorita (1965)

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