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

Caligula was emperor of Rome from 37 to 41 CE. The apostle Peter is known to have been incarcerated by Herod Agrippa, who reigned from 40 to 44 CE. When he came to Rome is unknown but this must have been later, only after there were followers of the new religion there (after 50 CE). So, Caligula and Peter were never in Rome at the same time.

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Quotes

Caligula: Christian. Do you renounce your false god ? This king of an invisible kingdom... who expects to come back some day and rule the earth ?
Demetrius: [after a long pause] There is no other king but Caesar. There is no power greater than his, in this world, or any other.
Caligula: By the mercy of Caesar, you are a free man.

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Connections

Featured in The O'Reilly Factor: Episode dated 19 May 2008 (2008)

User Reviews

History is Bunk !

It's a pretty good story, actually, this sequel to "The Robe". As entertainment, it has plenty to offer. As history, however, it falls flat on its face. The only accuracy in the story of Caligula is that he was assassinated by one of his own guards. He is also played so outrageously hammy that it is hard to take him seriously. Caligula also wasn't the slightest bit concerned with Christians or Jews, and in real life largely ignored them. His successor, Claudius, played here as a fine old Roman gentleman who wished the Christians well at the end, in fact found them and the Jews both to be a bother, and showed them the doors of Rome at every opportunity. (Please note: with the one politically motivated action of Nero, real persecution of Christians did not occur until much later, under the Emperor Diocletian) And let's not forget the Empress Messalina, probably the most notorious loose woman in Roman history, who comes across here as just a cheating wife. But then - hey, I'm a history buff. The point is that despite these little problems, it is still a good movie, and Victor Mature is perfect as the toughened gladiator. It's a classic and still a favorite