IMDb RATING
6.4/10
1.2K
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In the doomed Roman city, a gentle blacksmith becomes a corrupt gladiator, while his son leans toward Christianity.In the doomed Roman city, a gentle blacksmith becomes a corrupt gladiator, while his son leans toward Christianity.In the doomed Roman city, a gentle blacksmith becomes a corrupt gladiator, while his son leans toward Christianity.
Betty Alden
- Calpurnia
- (uncredited)
Betty Allen
- Woman
- (uncredited)
Agnes Anderson
- Noblewoman in Prefect's Box
- (uncredited)
Sam Appel
- Porridge Seller
- (uncredited)
Reginald Barlow
- The Janitor of the Slave Market
- (uncredited)
Nathan Barragar
- Prefect's Guard
- (uncredited)
Ward Bond
- Murmex of Carthage, a Gladiator
- (uncredited)
Symona Boniface
- Slave Auction Observer
- (uncredited)
Tom Brower
- Runaway Slave
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to the book The RKO Story, this film cost $237,000 more than it grossed in its original release, but finally broke even with the box office from a 1949 re-release, paired with She (1935).
- GoofsThe central subplot of the meeting with Jesus is impossible, as Pompeii was destroyed after his death in 79 A.D. Given these dates, Flavius would have been a middle aged man, clearly not the youth in his 20's as portrayed in the film.
- Crazy creditsThe foreword at the beginning of the film is a disclaimer stating that this film is not based on Bulwer-Lytton's novel at all. (It does not use the novel's plot, nor does it have any of the novel's characters.) However, the disclaimer goes on to say that the filmmakers are indebted to him for the description of the destruction of Pompeii.
- Alternate versionsA colorized version was made of this film in 1990.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Toast of New York (1937)
Featured review
An Effective Period Piece
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.
helpful•181
- telegonus
- Apr 22, 2005
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Der Untergang von Pompeji
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 36 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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By what name was The Last Days of Pompeii (1935) officially released in Canada in English?
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