Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)

The story picks up at the point where "The Robe" ends, following the martyrdom of Diana and Marcellus. Christ's robe is conveyed to Peter for safe-keeping, but the emperor Caligula wants it... See full summary »

Director:

Delmer Daves

Writers:

Philip Dunne, Lloyd C. Douglas (character)

Stars:

Victor Mature, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Victor Mature	...	Demetrius
Susan Hayward	...	Messalina
Michael Rennie	...	Peter
Debra Paget	...	Lucia
Anne Bancroft	...	Paula
Jay Robinson	...	Caligula
Barry Jones	...	Claudius
William Marshall	...	Glycon
Richard Egan	...	Dardanius
Ernest Borgnine	...	Strabo
Charles Evans	...	Cassius Chaerea

Storyline

The story picks up at the point where "The Robe" ends, following the martyrdom of Diana and Marcellus. Christ's robe is conveyed to Peter for safe-keeping, but the emperor Caligula wants it back to benefit from its powers. Marcellus' former slave Demetrius seeks to prevent this, and catches the eye of Messalina, wife to Caligula's uncle Claudius. Messalina tempts Demetrius, he winds up fighting in the arena, and wavers in his faith.

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Plot Keywords:

caligula | robe | messalina | faith | arena | 

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Taglines:

It begins where "The Robe" left off!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 November 1954 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Demetrio y los gladiadores

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Average Shot Length and Median Shot Length = ~10 seconds.

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Goofs

The film is set in AD 53. One of the statues surrounding the Emperor's throne is Michelangelo's David which wasn't finished until 1503.

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Quotes

Claudius: Men do not kill what they despise - only what they fear.

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Connections

Featured in Love's Brother (2004)

User Reviews

One of my favorite guilty film pleasures.

OK, so it is not historically correct and contains a dramatic personality change by Susan Hayward, I still love this movie. The film has some surprisingly witty dialogue, a rousing music soundtrack, high production values and very good performances all around. If you can accept the story for the fiction it is it can be surprisingly inspirational even if you are not Christian. My wife and I watch it at least once yearly.