The Last Days of Pompeii (1959 film)
| The Last Days of Pompeii | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by |
Mario Bonnard Uncredited: Sergio Leone |
| Produced by |
Paolo Moffa Lucio Fulci |
| Screenplay by |
Ennio de Concini Luigi Emmanuele Sergio Leone Duccio Tessari Sergio Corbucci |
| Based on |
The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer-Lytton |
| Starring |
Steve Reeves Christine Kaufmann Fernando Rey |
| Music by | Angelo Lavagnino |
| Cinematography | Antonio L. Ballesteros |
| Edited by |
Eraldo Da Roma Julio Peña |
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Production
company |
Cineproduzioni Associate
Procura Films Transocean-Film |
| Distributed by | Filmar |
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Release date
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Running time
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100 minutes |
| Country | Italy Spain West Germany |
| Language | Italian |
| Budget | $2.5 million |
| Box office | $4.7 million |
The Last Days of Pompeii (Italian: Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei) is a 1959 Italian sword and sandal action film starring Steve Reeves, Christine Kaufmann, and Fernando Rey and directed by Sergio Leone. Mario Bonnard, the original director, fell ill on the first day of shooting, so Leone and the scriptwriters finished the film.
The film is characterized by its CinemaScope framing and lavish look and is one of many films produced during the 1960s as part of the "peplum" sword and sandal craze, originally launched by Pietro Francisci's 1957 film Le fatiche di Ercole, released as Hercules in the United States by Joseph E. Levine.
The film is also interesting as an early example of Leone's work, which would soon become internationally popular with his series of spaghetti westerns starring Clint Eastwood. In his use of widescreen, as well as his penchant for colorful violence and outlandish plot twists, Leone displayed a visual flair that would soon propel him to directorial fame.
Glaucus, a centurion returning to his home in Pompeii after a spell in Palestine, arrives on the edge of town just in time to see Ione, the beautiful daughter of the city's Consul, lose control of her chariot. Glaucus saves Ione's life and then heads into town to see his father. On the way, Glaucus intervenes in defense of a thief named Antonius, who is being severely punished on orders given by Gallinus, a Praetorian Guard. On arriving at his father's house, Glaucus discovers that it has been looted and his father murdered by a band of ruthless hooded thieves who have been terrorizing the city, always leaving a cross painted on a wall as a calling card. Glaucus vows revenge against the killers.
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Wikipedia