When I was a boy, I saw this fable played out in cartoon form and it was pretty simplistic. Androcles pulls a thorn out of the paw of an otherwise ferocious lion and the the lion becomes friendly only to him.
This greatly expanded version of the story caught my interest being on the shelf at the local library. The cover picture made it look like a kind of biblical picture one would find from the 1950s or maybe one of those artsy "Janus" films.
It seems to be a little of both plus,in some scenes, something along the lines of a Sid Ceaser (No pun intended) "Your Show Of Shows" skit. There are some moments that are written funny but also some dialog that is accidentally unintended sexual innuendo. (Or was it?)
The plot's simple enough. The roman emperor Julius Caeser is having Christian women thrown to the lions and the men doing battle as unwilling Gladiator's with his best fighters.
Jean Simmons as Lavinia is the best performance overall in this film. She stays true to her character's beliefs and shows her to be a strong willed woman but a gentle devout Chritian at the same time. That's mighty fine acting line to balance on.
Victor Mature as the Captain of the guard is great also. He wants to uphold the ideals that make up the bulk of his duty but because he can see that Lavinia is certainly no threat, his heart softens. Another good bit of acting. The chemistry between he and Simmons seemed very genuine to me.
Alan Young as Androcles. I feel his role is meant to be a little comedic but also to be seen as a "simple" man. (Not stupid but just "unaffected" by the bad ways of the world. He's basically childlike.
Robert Newton as Ferrovius. A giant of a man who struggles with trying to be a good Christian but controlling his almost evil like temper that makes him want to beat up or kill those who get in his way.
Maurice Evans as Caesar? Quite possibly the funniest portrayal of the leader I've ever watched. I'm sure Evans was trying to play him as a male diva who thinks of himself as being one step below the God's he worships.
Lastly a still fairly young Jim Backus as one off the roman guards. Those of us born long after this film came out, yes, it's funny to see "Mr. Howell" as a Roman soldier. He does a pretty good job too.
The central idea presented here is that being true to either one's faith or one's self can bring about good things and make one able to deal with life's problems and the opinions of others.
At the same time,what one believes can also be something that causes one to be blind or intolerant to what others believe. To the point of trying to destroy it. Shaw's story works here and throughout on a good many levels.
What's amusing is having Androcles "dance" with the lion in the Coleseum! We can tell it's not a real lion of course. (Makes you wonder if the director was going for "a big laugh" or something.) Although I'm sure it has some meaning to it.
In any other movie about Julius Ceaser, the ending would have been completely ridiculous. Setting all the Christians free of persecution is something we know was only solved through bloodshed and the fall of the Roman empire itself. Since this film is only 1/2 serious, I wont slight it for that.
10 star ratin here.
Good acting on the parts of Simmons and Mature and fairly well played parts on the part of the others. For simple entertainment,I'd still recommend it. (END)
This greatly expanded version of the story caught my interest being on the shelf at the local library. The cover picture made it look like a kind of biblical picture one would find from the 1950s or maybe one of those artsy "Janus" films.
It seems to be a little of both plus,in some scenes, something along the lines of a Sid Ceaser (No pun intended) "Your Show Of Shows" skit. There are some moments that are written funny but also some dialog that is accidentally unintended sexual innuendo. (Or was it?)
The plot's simple enough. The roman emperor Julius Caeser is having Christian women thrown to the lions and the men doing battle as unwilling Gladiator's with his best fighters.
Jean Simmons as Lavinia is the best performance overall in this film. She stays true to her character's beliefs and shows her to be a strong willed woman but a gentle devout Chritian at the same time. That's mighty fine acting line to balance on.
Victor Mature as the Captain of the guard is great also. He wants to uphold the ideals that make up the bulk of his duty but because he can see that Lavinia is certainly no threat, his heart softens. Another good bit of acting. The chemistry between he and Simmons seemed very genuine to me.
Alan Young as Androcles. I feel his role is meant to be a little comedic but also to be seen as a "simple" man. (Not stupid but just "unaffected" by the bad ways of the world. He's basically childlike.
Robert Newton as Ferrovius. A giant of a man who struggles with trying to be a good Christian but controlling his almost evil like temper that makes him want to beat up or kill those who get in his way.
Maurice Evans as Caesar? Quite possibly the funniest portrayal of the leader I've ever watched. I'm sure Evans was trying to play him as a male diva who thinks of himself as being one step below the God's he worships.
Lastly a still fairly young Jim Backus as one off the roman guards. Those of us born long after this film came out, yes, it's funny to see "Mr. Howell" as a Roman soldier. He does a pretty good job too.
The central idea presented here is that being true to either one's faith or one's self can bring about good things and make one able to deal with life's problems and the opinions of others.
At the same time,what one believes can also be something that causes one to be blind or intolerant to what others believe. To the point of trying to destroy it. Shaw's story works here and throughout on a good many levels.
What's amusing is having Androcles "dance" with the lion in the Coleseum! We can tell it's not a real lion of course. (Makes you wonder if the director was going for "a big laugh" or something.) Although I'm sure it has some meaning to it.
In any other movie about Julius Ceaser, the ending would have been completely ridiculous. Setting all the Christians free of persecution is something we know was only solved through bloodshed and the fall of the Roman empire itself. Since this film is only 1/2 serious, I wont slight it for that.
10 star ratin here.
Good acting on the parts of Simmons and Mature and fairly well played parts on the part of the others. For simple entertainment,I'd still recommend it. (END)