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

Followed by The Big Fisherman (1959)

User Reviews

Inferior Sequel To "The Robe"

If made today, they'd call this The Robe II. Mostly a beefcake fest and spectacle rather than a first class religious drama--which is what "The Robe" was. This one has lots of gladiator fights in the arena and "a day in the life " at gladiator school stuff. The action is quite excitingly staged, but lessened by the handicap of early Cinemascope, where close ups and even medium closeups looked distorted and were very seldom used.

Susan Hayward is fun to watch as a sexually ravenous and manipulative noblewoman. Victor Mature confirms his acting chops (see "My Darling Clementine") by making a the struggling hero part believable, in a part that could have been cardboard rendered by many an action hero actor.

The video quality on this DVD is disappointingly mediocre; Fox obviously didn't spend any money on restoration, as they do with many of their titles from the 1950's. Colors are muddy, and the print, while perfectly watchable, is scratched. Stereo sound is so-so, and at least on my system, I didn't hear any surround sound, which this movie certainly had (this was a significant aspect of early Cinemascope presentations).

The actor playing bad guy Caligula gives one of the most hammy, over the top performances I can remember; he seems to have studied at the Simon Legree school of melodrama.