The Last Days of Pompeii (1959 film)

[1] The Last Days of Pompeii (Italian: Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei) is a 1959 Eastmancolor historical disaster action film starring Steve Reeves, Christine Kaufmann, and Fernando Rey and directed by Mario Bonnard and Sergio Leone.Glaucus, a centurion returning to his home in Pompeii after a spell in Palestine, sees Ione, the daughter of the city's Consul, lose control of her chariot.But before Marcus can tell anybody what he has discovered, he is killed by Arbaces, the High Priest of Isis, and his body is left to be found with a Christian cross carved into it.Antonius proceeds to Herculanum and informs Glaucus and Ascanius of his discovery; as proof, he tells them that the treasures stolen from the citizens of Pompeii are hidden in the temple.At the temple of Isis, Glaucus fights off Arbaces and Gallinus but is thrown into a secret ditch and finds himself in a waterlogged chamber wrestling with a crocodile.Julia, the Consul's Egyptian mistress, is in fact the mastermind behind the crimes of the black-hooded men and the dirty dealing of Gallinus and Ascanius.The story of Pompeii's destruction was one of the most popular topics of early Italian cinema and was filmed several times during the silent movie era.In 2007 Roman Polanski was attached to a film adaptation based on a Robert Harris novel set in the city, but that project was ultimately brought to fruition by Paul W. S. Anderson in 2014.The film versions before 1959 had centered on the eruption of Vesuvius, the Christians, the lions in the arena and the villainous high priest, leaving the rest of the plot.[5] The idea to make a new film on the same subject, taking advantage of Eastmancolor and a Supertotalscope widescreen, came from producer and director Paolo Moffa.After he was cast, the plot of the film was modified to take advantage of Reeve's physique adding more spectacular scenes: an underwater fight with a crocodile; a sequence where the column of a temple is lifted and the confrontation with the lions.This injury effectively put an end to his bodybuilding career, as well as ultimately forcing his early retirement from the movie business a few years later after A Long Ride from Hell.
A scene from The Last Days of Pompeii
The Last Days of Pompeii (disambiguation)Mario BonnardSergio LeoneSergio CorbucciEnnio De ConciniDuccio TessariThe Last Days of PompeiiEdward Bulwer-LyttonPaolo MoffaSteve ReevesChristine KaufmannFernando ReyBarbara CarrollEraldo Da RomaAngelo Francesco LavagninoUnited ArtistsItalianEastmancolorhistoricaldisasteractionCinemaScopePietro FrancisciLe fatiche di ErcolecenturionchariotPraetorian GuardHerculanumVesuviuseruptsAngel ArandaMimmo PalmaraGuillermo MarínCarlo TamberlaniMino DoroPompeiiMerian C. CooperRobert HarrisPaul W. S. Anderson1984 television filmMarcel L'HerbierOpus DeiHerculesHercules UnchainedA Long Ride from HellÁngel ArandaFilmportal.deTCM Movie DatabaseYouTubeThe BetrothedThe Circus of LifeThe Golden AbyssThe SinnerTheatreStruggle for the MatterhornCall at MidnightThe Call of the NorthThe Son of the White MountainFive to NilNo WomenThree Lucky FoolsThe Missing TreatyThe Wedding MarchTerritorial MilitiaAdam's TreeThirty Seconds of LoveThe Ferocious SaladinThe Count of BrechardI, His FatherFrenzyFather for a NightThe King's JesterMarco ViscontiBefore the PostmanRossiniThe Peddler and the LadyRomulus and the SabinesWhat a Distinguished FamilyFarewell, My Beautiful NaplesCity of PainMargaret of CortonaThe VowStasera scioperoThe Last SentenceTorment of the PastI figli non si vendonoFrine, Courtesan of OrientConcert of IntrigueThey Stole a TramLa ladraAllow Me, Daddy!Slave Women of CorinthGastoneRome 1585FilmographyThe Colossus of RhodesA Fistful of DollarsFor a Few Dollars MoreThe Good, the Bad and the UglyOnce Upon a Time in the WestDuck, You Sucker!Once Upon a Time in AmericaBice WaleranRoberto RobertiDollars Trilogy