Directed by:
Cecil B. DeMilleCinematography:
Karl StrussCast:
Fredric March, Elissa Landi, Claudette Colbert, Charles Laughton, Ian Keith, Arthur Hohl, Harry Beresford, Tommy Conlon, Ferdinand Gottschalk (more)Plots(1)
After Emperor Nero (Charles Laughton) blames the Christians for burning Rome, he orders that they be sent to the Colosseum. While rounding them up, military leader Marcus Superbus (Fredric March) meets pretty young Mercia (Elissa Landi), who begs him to free her stepfather, Titus (Arthur Hohl). Marcus does so with the hope of seducing her but is unsuccessful. Empress Poppaea (Claudette Colbert), who has her eye on Marcus, soon learns of Mercia and, out of jealousy, orders her fed to the lions. (Bounty Films)
(more)Reviews (1)
I watched the film mainly to recall something that was created before the adoption of the Hays Code and thus contained scenes that were later deemed unacceptable. It's refreshing to see more risqué shots even in American productions from the black-and-white era. I'd be quite curious to see how certain films would look if the Code had never been adopted. DeMille shows that it definitely wouldn't have been to the detriment of the matter.
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