Demetrius and the Gladiators

Once you have seen this movie you will never ever forget Jay Robinson's performance as deranged but cunning Caligula.Is it great acting or just one of the greatest slices of ham ever put on film?I don't know but it proves the maxim that one actor can make a basically routine movie into a personal favourite."Demetrius" is in some ways superior to its predecessor "The Robe" -it lacks the ponderous religiosity,theres more action,and Caligula moves into centre stage.

The box office reception of The Robe for 20th Century Fox exceeded a whole lot of expectations. What to do, but make a sequel to tell of where the rest of some of these characters wound up.

Victor Mature as Demetrius, Michael Rennie as St. Peter, and Jay Robinson as Caligula continue their roles from The Robe. An original screenplay was done with these characters already familiar to the public from the film and from the beloved Lloyd C. Douglas novel. The film starts with a clip from the end of The Robe where Caligula has condemned Richard Burton and Jean Simmons to execution. As they leave Simmons hands Jesus's robe to an unnamed extra and says it's for the big fisherman.

Of course it gets into Michael Rennie's hands, but Jay Robinson has heard rumors about this magical robe the Christians possess. Nobody can get an obsession like Robinson so he finds Demetrius who's now got a girlfriend in Debra Paget. He's sold back into slavery this time as a gladiator.

Mature who was a supporting character in The Robe takes center stage here. He goes through quite a test of faith on many levels, including an affair with the notorious Messalina played by Susan Hayward. She's appropriately tempting and Mature's flesh is definitely weak here if not in the arena.

Michael Rennie who has always played aesthetic upper class gentlemen is really miscast as the rugged outdoor St. Peter. He does what he can with the part, but my conception of St. Peter at various times of his life is better realized by Howard Keel in The Big Fisherman and Finlay Currie in Quo Vadis. These two look like they made a living outdoors, I could never see Rennie out on a commercial fishing boat.

Of course Robinson continues with his well received portrayal of Caligula from The Robe. The difference is that in The Robe he was the spoiled heir to the throne. In Demetrius and the Gladiators, Robinson truly descends into madness as he starts believing he's divine.

Another outstanding performance is William Marshall as Glycon, the gladiator/slave from Ethiopia. Marshall had a tremendous speaking voice, think James Earl Jones and Marshall makes him sound like a soprano. Had he come along a few years later, Marshall would have had the career Mr. Jones had. He's probably best remembered today for both the Blacula films and in an episode of the original Star Trek series as Dr. Dengstom who invents a computer to run the Enterprise.

Some of this ground was covered better in the highly rated I Claudius series from the BBC. But that does not diminish Demetrius and the Gladiators in quality. Both should be seen and evaluated side by side on their own separate merits.

As a young boy going to the movies was entertaining and wondrous as I imagined how they could make men and animals so lifelike and real. When I first saw this movie " Demetrius and the Gladiators ", I was very impressed with the acting skills of both my favorite actors at the time. I loved the dynamic style of Victor Mature who plays Demetrius, and awed with his being able to fight a tiger to the death. I was further enthralled with my other favorite Richard Egan who played Dardanius. As a regular 'good guy' it was entertaining to see him play a heavy. Then again I felt that way about Ernest Borgnine who is Strabo and William Marshall as majestic 'Glycon, King of Swords'. The story is actually part two of the movie "The Robe" which I believed centered more on the Icon than on the slave character. There was something shortcoming about this sequel in that it concentrated on the search for the robe by the Mad Emperor Caligula, played to the hilt by superb actor Jay Robinson. With additional actors like Michael Rennie playing Peter the apostle and Barry Jones playing Claudius, the director tried to make this sequel as reverential as the first. But that was not what I sought when I first saw it. It was a great film for the arena action and that's what made it fun. I realize there are superior movies out there like 'Gladiator' by Ridley Scott, but I remember early films as a child and that's what made this one a Classic. ****

I am not a huge fan of the religious epics of the 1950s. For every good one, such as "Ben Hur", there seemed to be two turkeys--such as "David and Bathsheba" or "Samson and Delilah". Because of that, I have avoided watching "Demetrius and the Gladiators" for many years. However, after completing the task, I am surprised that I actually enjoyed the film very much.

When Twentieth Century-Fox filmed "The Robe", they already knew that it would be followed up by "Demetrius and the Gladiators". In fact, the movies were filmed like one huge film and then separated into two as the studio was THAT confident that "The Robe" would be a big hit--which it was. And, for that matter, so was its sequel. Fortunately, you can watch either without watching the other.

The film begins with a clip from the previous film--just before the two main characters (Richard Burton and Jean Simmons) were executed. Soon you learn that the Apostle Peter and his followers (including Demetrius--Victor Mature) are the keepers of the robe that Jesus wore to the cross. Oddly, however, the Emperor Caligula is very fascinated by the robe and insists he must have it. When Demetrius tries to hide it, he's sentenced by this loony emperor to become a gladiator--a sure death since Demetrius has vowed never to fight now that he's become a Christian. However, the lure sexy Messalina (Susan Hayward) and his own desire to live make it difficult, if not impossible, to fulfill this oath. What's next? See for yourself.

There's no doubt about it--this film is a spectacle. It has huge scenes, huge gladiatorial fights and lots of beautiful sets and costumes. While it's not a fantastic film, the action is there and the film is fascinating. Part of this is due to the supporting performances. William Marshall shows what a wonderfully unsung actor he was. Had he been born later, his wonderful voice and acting skills would have made him a top star--something not possible for a black actor during this age. Additionally, while Jay Robinson's version of Caligula is not in the least bit subtle, it IS very entertaining and fun to watch. All in all, a decent film that is far better than I'd suspected.

UPDATE: Since this review, I've finally seen the precursor, "The Robe", and was surprised just how bad it was compared to "Demetrius and the Gladiators. It's an odd example of a film whose sequel was better--much better.

A follow-up to 20th Century Fox's first big CinemaScope success , the religious mammoth epic titled The Robe from bestselling novel by Lloyd C. Douglas , that begins where the former one left off and resulting to be better than the original . Stars Victor Mature again as the title role , Demetrius , the Greek who is given charge of the rob of Jesus Christ at the Crucifixion. In fact , there's a brief introduction about legionnaire Marcellus : Richard Burton , as he was in charge of the group that was assigned to crucify Christ and from his official duties he won Jesus' homespun robe in a dice-game . Meanwhile , Christ's garment is now the object of quest of Emperor Caligula and he will stop at nothing to get it and at whatever means . As the holy-robe-carrying slave is enlisted as one of Caligula's gladiators and along the way he mixes with the sex-hungry Messalina . The religious and pieties from previous film have partially gone , to be replaced by the tortuous court machinations of nasty Caligula : repeating role Jay Robinson, his astute uncle Claudius : Barry Jones and cunning Messalina : Susan Hayward .

This is an overwhelming Colossal turning out to be the continuation of the Robe, packing breathtaking combats among furious gladiators , a sensitive love story between Victor Mature/Debra Paget , an adequate cast of thousands , religious remarks mainly starred by apostle Saint Peter : Michael Wilding and reaching an exciting peak at the end . There are some moving battles in the arena and an impressive fight between Victor Mature and various hungry tigers. There are also some historical characters as the extremely baddie and sadistic Caligula giving him a hammy overacting by Jay Robinson , the allegedly silly but really intelligent Claudius finely played by Barry Jones and the tempter , seducer Messalina nicely performed by the trampy Susan Hayward . While the main star Victor Mature provides a wooden interpretation , as usual . They are competently performed by an attractive support cas , such as : Ernest Borgnine playing a gladiator trainer, Richard Egan as a brave hunk gladiator , William Marshall as Glycon , Anne Bancroft , Charles Evans and uncredited as gladiators : Michael Conrad , Russell Johnson , Jeff York and Ed Fury , the latter to be continued an Italian career as a Peplum or Sword and Sandal heroe , in addition , appearing as uncredited dancer girl , Julie Newmar .

It contains a rousing as well as lyric musical score by great composer Franz Waxman . As well as colorful and brilliant cinematography by Milton R. Krasner in glimmer Technicolor . The motion picture was well directed by Delmer Daves (The Red House , Broken Arrow , Cowboy , Jubal, The Last Wagon, Destination Tokyo, An Affair to Remember) and showing much more ease in the CinemaScope format than The Robe by Henry Koster . Rating : 6.6/10 . Decent Colossal that will appeal to star-studded fans and Roman time lovers .