Sins of Pompeii (1950)
"Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei" (original title)

In the town of Pompeii, 79AD, a few weeks before the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius, a Roman lady Hélène meets and falls in love with a young Greek man Lysias. He is betrothed to another ... See full summary »

Directors:

Marcel L'Herbier, Paolo Moffa

Writer:

Alexandre Arnoux (French dialogue)

Stars:

Micheline Presle, Georges Marchal, Marcel Herrand

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Micheline Presle	...	Elena / Hélène / Jone
Georges Marchal	...	Lysia / Lysias / Glaukus
Marcel Herrand	...	Arbace / Arbax / Arbaces
Jaque Catelain	...	Clodio / Claudius / Clodius
Adriana Benetti	...	Nidia
Camillo Pilotto	...	Diomede / Diomède
Antonio Pierfederici	...	Olinto / Olinte / Olinth
Guglielmo Barnabò	...	Panza
Alain Quercy	...	Lepido / Lépide

Storyline

In the town of Pompeii, 79AD, a few weeks before the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius, a Roman lady Hélène meets and falls in love with a young Greek man Lysias. He is betrothed to another woman who, to win him back, acquires a potion to make him love only her. The potion was prepared by the Egyptian priest, Arbax, who has a grudge against Lysias, and is not what it seems, it is intended to drive whoever takes it insane. Hélène's new slave is also in love with Lysias. She steals the potion and gives it to Lysias, who hurries away in a mad rage. When the slave girl confronts Arbax, she is killed by the evil priest, and Lysias is charged with her murder.

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Plot Keywords:

ancient rome | peplum | based on novel

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Taglines:

Was THIS the birth of the H-Bomb?

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

French Italian

Release Date:

December 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last Days of Pompeii

Filming Locations:

Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universalia Film, Franco London Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A very young Lucio Fulci was one of the assistant directors.

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Connections

Version of The Last Days of Pompeii (1900)

User Reviews

Its days are numbered.

One more time ,Bulwer-Lytton's book was cheapened in this movie which was to be L'Herbier's next-to-last one.It 's got a good beginning and a good ending but what remains is a muddled story ,not faithful to the original plot,saved by the magnitude of the actors (Georges Marchal,Micheline Presles and Marcel Herrand).

The beginning promised great things : it is a flash forward ,repeating the final lines of the novel,when the archaeologists discover the places where the -fictional- events took place ;then a court room where a man stands accused which makes most of the film a long flashback.

The leads' names have undergone changes :Glauco/Glaucus becomes Lysia(s) and Ione becomes Helene/Elena ;Nydia ,the young slave is not blind and she is killed early in the movie which impoverishes the character who was desperately in love with the hero.The poison which makes Lysia lose his mind and his memory is a pure invention from the screenwriters(I mean it's not in the book) .Of course the Christians are here ,but they come at the most awkward moment.

The eruption of the volcano is pretty good for the time and the movements in the crowd and the panic are well directed.But if you come to Pompei,the guide will tell you it was impossible to escape by boats and that there were no survivors.

Like this ? try these "Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei "(1959) The Bonnard/Leone Tarzanesque version should be reserved for Steve Reeves' fans.

"Last days of Pompey" was a fine mini-series in the eighties ,the best version I know of the celebrated novel.Starring Olivia Hussey ,Nicholas Clay and Lynda Pearl.