The Last Days of Pompeii
(1960-Italian)
Director: Mario Bonnard
Cast: Steve Reeves, Christina Kauffman, Barbara Carroll, Anne Marie Baumann.
Description: This was ironically the last film made by director
Mario Bonnard, and it follows the pattern of the classic Italian costume
dramas about macho or mythic heroes, in this case, a certain Glaucus
(Steve Reeves, the glorious Greco-Roman past could not occur without
him). Taking the cue from its larger-than-life hero, the story, set in
79 A.D., bounds from one spectacle to another without undue concern for
nuanced dialogue or subtleties of character. Glaucus has to
single-handedly tackle the brutal thugs that are taking over Pompeii and
is forced to fight off a lion and a crocodile — though not all at the
same time. He overcomes wounds and enemies in preparation for his
toughest fight, that of rescue and survival when Mt. Vesuvius blows its
top, the biggest and final spectacle in a series of battleground
fireworks.
Color/B&W: Color.
Running Time: 97 mins.