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Last
Days of Pompeii
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 Marcus presents his son to Pontius Pilate. |
 Rathbone as Pilate |
Returning to Flavius, he finds the child dying of injuries received when thrown from a horse. Frantic, he takes him to a Teacher known to heal the sick. The child is cured.
Back in Jerusalem, Pontius urges him to take his treasure and leave the disturbed city. Only that morning the mob had forced him to condemn an innocent man, a subversive young rabbi named Jesus Christ. Marcus learns that this man is the Teacher who saved Flavius. Witnessing Christ's march to Calvary, Marcus is moved by his plight, and he starts to aid him, but love of gold and ambition for the child overpower him and he passes by. Burbix, head of the gang he had led into the desert, accompanies him back to Pompeii as friend and aide.
Twenty years pass. Marcus is head of the arena, rich and popular. Pontius is stopping for Flavius on his return to Rome. With wealth, intelligence and the patronage of Pontius, Marcus knows Flavius can become a power in the Empire.
Flavius, grown to manhood, loves his father but is bitterly opposed to slavery and the arena. Marcus does not realize the great depth of this hatred; neither does he know that the boy is in love with Clodia, a slave. Flavius, in spite of his father's insistence that it was a dream, has always remembered vaguely the Teacher he saw in Judea. Marcus dismisses the whole notion of Christianity as superstitious nonsense.
Partly in attempt to follow in the footsteps of this man who taught mercy, partly because of his love for Clodia, Flavius commits Rome's deadliest crime. He aids slaves to escape. The group includes Clodia and he take them to a cave in the hills, planning their permanent escape to an uninhabited island.
The mysterious escape of slaves is becoming a great concern to the Prefect, especially as Marcus taunts him because he consistently fails to recapture them. Marcus' interest lies solely in the fact that he needs more victims for the arena—the fate of runaway slaves.
Pontius arrives but Flavius refuses to go to Rome, saying he wants no part in ruling an Empire based on slavery. Marcus is bitterly disappointed, but Pontius assures him that Flavius can come to Rome later when he gets over his youthful idealism.
Flavius, learning that the Prefect has captured a slave who knows of the hiding-place, and is torturing him to make him reveal its location, leaves hurriedly for the cave, urging the slaves to the sea. He is too late. All of them, including Flavius and Clodia, are captured.
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The day of the games dawns clear, though an odd cloud hangs over Vesuvius. Burbix brings news of the capture of the slaves and Marcus, pleased that the games will now be a success, leaves for the arena.
Leaster, who has been aiding Flavius in his activities, hastens to the cells, hoping against hope that the boy had escaped. Learning that he had not, he goes to the arena, bringing word to Marcus that his son is among those condemned to die. Marcus, in desperation, tries every means to save him and fails. All his wealth and power mean nothing.
The captives are herded into the arena to face the barbarians. Before the eyes of Marcus his son is stabbed and goes down.
Then Vesuvius bursts forth. Earthquake follows earthquake. Pompeii becomes a mass of maddened humanity trying to reach the sea. Before the onslaught of the fiery volcano, all of the citizens of Pompeii are reduced to a common level of helplessness.
Leaster is killed trying to save Clodia. Flavius, though injured, rescues her and the two start for Marcus' private wharf. Believing Flavius dead, Marcus is swept along indifferent to the confusion. He meets the faithful Burbix who is forcing slaves to carry Marcus' treasure to the wharf. In the end Marcus makes the right decisions for the right reasons. Marcus commands them to leave the gold and carry children instead.
Reaching the wharf, he finds Clodia and, to his joy, Flavius. He puts them on board a boat. As they cast off the Prefect arrives with his guard and treasure. He orders the boat to be unloaded to accommodate himself and the gold. Marcus delays the soldiers long enough for the ship to escape, but goes down under a spear thrust.
Dying, he sees once more a faint vision of the Teacher. A voice repeats the promise, "He that loseth his life for My sake, shall never die." Marcus passes away in peace, as the falling ash slowly covers the ruined city.
 Preston
Foster had just suffered his eleventh injury the day we looked in
upon producer Merian C. Cooper's latest screen spectacle. It was a
cinch, which in this instance is not slang, but a saddle cinch that
broke when the two-hundred-pound Foster, wearing an additional
seventy pounds of armor climbed aboard his horse. He suffered a
nasty and painful spill and only by quick thinking escaped being
trampled by another charging horse.Such accidents are frequent during the making of any such great spectacle as Last Days of Pompeii. In fact, the superstitious—and who in Hollywood isn't—regard the presence of a jinx as an omen of good luck. All big successes, they say, have been jinxed in production. Strangely enough, the records seem to prove it. According to Foster, the mere wearing of seventy pounds of costume is bad luck. His helmet alone weighs nine pounds and if you don't believe that is heavy, you don't need to ask Mr. Foster. Try carrying it around on your own head all day. When he counts eleven injuries, he is not counting just bruises and cuts. A brawny bit of a man, standing six feet two, he was badly battered up during the three months of shooting. We know. We saw the bruises. Yet Foster has no complaints. his starring part of Marcus, humble blacksmith who becomes champion gladiator and wealthiest man in Pompeii, is one of the most lengthy in Hollywood history. He is in every scene, almost every set-up. The story is not an adaptation of the classic Bulwer Lytton novel of the same name. It is an original by James Ashmore Creelman and Melville Baker. Screen play by Ruth Rose. The director is Ernest B. ("Monty") Schoedsack, long and lank partner of producer Cooper in other ventures (Grass, Chang, Four Feathers, King Kong). Both are noted for attention to historical accuracy and months of research preceded the filming. Entire sections of the city of Pompeii were painstakingly recreated from reconstructed drawings based upon the archaeological remains. Largest of the sets are the Temple of Jupiter—occupying three full sound stages (30,000 sq. ft.) on the RKO Pathe lot—and the arena, a giant structure requiring an acre of ground. Yet the greatest trouble was caused by ancient Roman coffee urns. They look so much like modern coffee dispensers in use in one-arm restaurants today, it is feared they may seem an anachronism. Contrary to popular belief, Pompeii was destroyed not by lava from the erupting Vesuvius, but by a fine volcanic ash which, when cooled, hardened to form a horrible tomb. The complete destruction of the city is best described by the fact that the ruins remained undiscovered from the First Century to the year 1594 and systematic excavations did not really begin until 1763. The Hollywood-built Pompeii will be destroyed by the same means. Thousands of extras found employment in the picture, for the Romans owned many slaves and households were filled with such servitors. There is a record of one Roman owning 4,116. This man, historical accuracy or no historical accuracy, was not made a character in the story. There must be some limits even in a million-dollar production. Imagine, the single item of wigs ran to a total of 8,000 copies. Other important players in the cast include Dorothy Wilson, promising English newcomer John Wood, Alan Hale, who played with a broken foot, young David Holt, Basil Rathbone, Louis Calhern and Gloria Shea. They wanted to star Preston Foster, but he refused by saying, graciously, "The entire cast is too good to star anyone." —Hollywood, September 1935, p. 36 |
Basil Rathbone plays Pontius Pilate, the Roman who condemned Christ, with sensitivity and grace. The character transforms from a decadent politician to a man plagued by questions and doubts with his decision to crucify Christ and whether or not Christ was worthy of crucifixion.
According to the pressbook for the film, Rathbone believed the lifetime of Jesus to be the most dramatic period in history. In 1929 Rathbone appeared in the title role of the play Judas, which he co-wrote with Walter Ferris. "Because I am so interested in this period, I was particularly anxious to play Pilate," Rathbone explained, "especially when I read the part and found it to be one of the best written roles I have ever played on stage or screen. It is beautifully conceived and deeply touching. It characterizes Pontius as I feel the man really was—a political puppet in the hands of Rome. the story of the man who condemned Christ is a tragedy of helplessness."
 Pilate washes his hands after condemning Jesus. |
 "What have I done?" |
In a 1937 interview, Rathbone was asked if Pontius Pilate in The Last Days of Pompeii was a true-to-life character. Rathbone responded:
| Pontius Pilate? Of course he was true to life. You can't call him a
"heavy"! He did his best to prevent the Crucifixion. He was merely
overwhelmed by odds. You and I could not have stood up before such
opposition. Incidentally, I think that that character was one of the best,
if not the best that I have ever portrayed upon the screen. It was only a week's work, and I told my manager that I would not consider a week's work. Anyhow, he persuaded me to read the script. Well, before I had read to the end I felt that I was Pilate, and told him to go ahead and get that part for me. (from "Gentleman Firebrand" by Dick Pine, Picture Play, September 1937, p. 92) |
In an earlier interview, Rathbone expressed much more eagerness to get the part of Pilate:
| As we spoke of the various roles he has played, I reminded him of his masterful characterization as Pontius Pilate in The Last Days of Pompeii, which I thought the finest thing he had done. "Ah, thank you!" he said. "Yes, I think it's the best thing I have done on the screen, and perhaps the best thing I've done in my life. When I returned to Hollywood my manager said, 'Basil, they want you to play Pontius Pilate in The Last Days of Pompeii. It's a week's work.' I told him I wouldn't even consider a week's work. He wanted me to read the script, as a favor to him. I got the script with the part of Pontius Pilate all marked out. As I read it, I had cold shivers running up and down my spine. I called my manager and said, 'Bill, I was wrong. Get that part for me whatever you do.' It was magnificently written, with economy of words—truly a sublime characterization. I played the part, and the director will tell you that everything you saw on the screen was the first take. Not because I was a good boy and learned my lines, or a superlative actor, but because the part was me, and I was the part." (from "Hissed to the Heights—That's Rathbone," Motion Picture, July 1936, p. 74) |
In his autobiography, Rathbone states that he considered The Last Days of Pompeii to be a "quality" picture. (In and Out of Character, p. 152)
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As entertainment, The Last Days of Pompeii is exciting, spectacular and ennobling in a matter-of-fact fashion. As an actor's Roman holiday, it is particularly satisfactory for razor-nosed Basil Rathbone. Though deprived of the peg-topped trousers which have so often added to the elegance of his impersonations, he makes his Pontius a brilliant prototype of a world-weary and sardonic early empire politician. The most exciting moment in The Last Days of Pompeii is not the eruption of Vesuvius but a quiet scene on Marcus' front porch when Flavius asks Pontius, back from his procuratorship, whether there was a faith-healer in the province who used to preach the Brotherhood of Man and, if so, what became of him. Says Pontius Pilate: "There was. I crucified him." —Time magazine, October 28, 1935 |
"Basil Rathbone portrays Pontius Pilate with a master's touch." —Robert Tobey, The International Photographer, January 1936, p. 32
"The hero of the occasion is Basil Rathbone, whose Pilate is a fascinating aristocrat, scornful in his hauteur and sly in his reasoning." —The New York Times, October 17, 1935
 Rathbone as Pontius Pilate |
 Marcus and Pilate |
"The film's acting honors go to Basil Rathbone as Pilate, who transforms from a swaggering young skeptic to a conscience-stricken old man. On its original release, the film lost 237,000 dollars, but in the long run made a profit via periodic reissues." —Hal Erickson, Rovi
"Impressive spectacle stuff with plenty of action and several real thrills ... Cast is excellent." —Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin, Oct. 16, 1935
 The
Last Days of Pompeii is a picture that should have been filmed in
color. It cries for color. Even in black and white, it is a
spectacular vision, unfolded against a background of the ancient
Roman Empire in all its glory, pomp, and barbarism ... a spectacular
vision with a very human and timeless story in the foreground. For
centuries, people have wondered what life was like in the beautiful,
famed, and fated city of Pompeii, doomed to destruction by a
volcano. Here is a graphic, imaginative answer. The principal
character is an ironic gladiator, a public hero, who sells his soul
for gold—magnificently played by Preston Foster. As his adopted
child who redeems him, David Holt tears hearts loose from their
moorings. And only a little less memorable are John wood, Dorothy
Wilson, Basil Rathbone, Alan Hale and Gloria Shea.—Movie Classic, December 1935, p. 51 |
Hollywood took some liberties with the chronology of historical events to tell this story. Jesus died around 35 AD. In the film, Pontius Pilate visited Marcus in Pompeii twenty years later (which would have been about 55 AD) and Vesuvius erupted shortly after Pilate left for Rome. In fact, Vesuvius didn't erupt until 79 AD. Little is known about Pilate's life after the death of Jesus. We know that he left his post in Jerusalem and returned to Rome in 36 AD. Tradition holds that he was so consumed by grief that he took his own life, but there is no evidence to suggest how Pilate died.
Lavish sets, reproductions of the ancient city, were built to stage the spectacle. These included the great Forum and the Temple of Jupiter, streets, shops, the slave market, the giant arena, wharves, and private homes of classic beauty.
More than a year of research by many trained men and women was required to insure absolute accuracy in the construction of these settings. This investigation included the exhaustive examination of books, photographs, drawings and architectural reproductions, relating to Pompeii. In addition to this work, Merian C. Cooper, who produced the film, visited the ruins of Pompeii, gathering information about the city.
 Pilate and Marcus meet for the first time in Jerusalem. |
 Pilate and Marcus meet 20 years later in Pompeii. |
At the RKO Radio studios massive motion picture sets were built into accurate reproductions of the classic city. One is the Pompeiian Forum and its famous Temple of Jupiter, seat of pagan rites. It required one hundred arc lights to illuminate this setting. The operating crew numbered 120, 40 of these being electricians. About four hundred extras were used to stage the scene of festival.
Another setting is the beautiful home of Marcus, hero of the photoplay — a rich man's marble palace of great halls, graceful pillars, beautiful gardens where fountains play, and rich furnishings. There is also the mammoth amphitheatre arena, guarded by a mighty colossus, through the straddled legs of which went hosts of men into the arena on their way to doom. These monuments of pagan splendor, however are smashed to fragments during the convulsive scenes of the picture's climax, which depicts the debacle resulting from an eruption of the volcano Vesuvius, a triumph of special effects.
THE LAST WORD IN
SPECTACULAR PRODUCTION GORGEOUSLY PRODUCED AND ACTED WITH INTENSELY
HUMAN STORY. Easily one of the Ten Best of this or any other season. It makes all other spectacular productions fade in comparison. The mob scenes are magnificently handled. The scenes in the arena of Pompeii are stupendous and awe-inspiring. And for the climactic smash, the eruption of Vesuvius followed by earthquakes with thousands of people fleeing from the arena has never been equaled for sheer magnitude and spectacular smash and perfect detail. It's a dramatic triumph of impressive magnitude. Combine this with an emotional and very human story consummately acted, and you have a screen spectacle that will have the entire community talking. Preston Foster plays the role of a blacksmith who becomes a gladiator in the arena, and when his wife and baby die from an accident, he is embittered and resolves to attain vast wealth and power. He adopts a boy, son of one of his arena victims, and his entire life is centered about the young man as he grows up. The climax in the arena as the son espouses the cause of the slaves and the father tries to save him from death, followed immediately by the eruption of Vesuvius, is an unforgettable screen experience that twill linger in memory. Everything about the production is superb—musical score, photography, directing, acting. —The Film Daily, Oct. 3, 1935, p. 8 |
"A stupendously big production, handsome and spectacular ... Exciting, packed with action ... Don't miss it." —New York Daily Mirror
"A masterpiece of screen realism." —New York Post
"Elaborate spectacle ... filmed on a large and lavish scale." —New York Evening Journal
"Effective screen spectacle" —New York Herald Tribune
"Persuasively staged and excitingly narrated." —New York Times
"A glorious film." —Boston American
 The young Pilate and his servant |
 Marcus and Pilate |
"Has as much of story as it has of spectacle." —Boston Transcript
"Big spectacle ... lavish screening." —Boston Post
"Exciting enough to satisfy anyone." —Boston Record
"A notable achievement." —Cincinnati Times Star
"An absorbing show." —Cincinnati Enquirer
"Life of pagan city depicted in mighty spectacle." —Cincinnati Post
Dramatic Spectacle Spectacular in story quality and production value this isa picture to stir the minds of exhibitors and patrons alike. A massive feature, reflecting in every phase the care, thought and diligence put into it by producers, director, and players, it is screen merchandise of a caliber that should inspire the most extraordinary showmanship in order that commercial returns which its entertainment value more than justifies should be returned. As the title indicates, "The Last Days of Pompeii" sets its time as that of Christ's last years on earth and the early part of the Christian Era and establishes the locales as ancient Rome, Judea and Pompeii, and this likewise establishes it as a costume picture. But whether costume or not, together which the production features—the gladiatorial combats reflecting the almost inhuman decadence of a pagan race, the cruel sports of the Colosseum, the atmospheric presentation of the Crucifixion, or the vivid manner in which its picturization of ancient racketeering parallels the most flamboyant of modern gangsters—it tells a story of human drama which from the point of view of power of theme and emotional impact is as attention arresting as the most moving current happenings. The cataclysmic eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the earth shattering destruction, which climax all the previous spectacles, seldom if ever have been duplicated on the screen either. Bare of the wealth of substantiating production detail, awe inspiring features which lend great power to the motivating story, "Pompeii" is drama. It's the drama of Marcus, a tragedy embittered man, who came to believe that only in the possession of money and power could happiness be found, of a merciless gladiator of the arena, champion of champions, who in glory found solace in the adoption of a boy to replace his dead child. Climbing the ladder of success, he becomes a promoter, allying himself with Pontius Pilate. He becomes a slave trading racketeer providing the human fodder to satisfy the depraved tastes of the roaring arenas. In Jerusalem, he hears of a great Teacher, a man who believes in meekness, kindness and humility, the direct antithesis to the character he is. His son being injured, Marcus again knowing a fear that once chilled his soul, he takes him to the Teacher. the boy is healed. Then follows the drama, atmospherically presented, of Calvary. Years pass. Marcus, now the most important influence in the Roman empire, knows that his association with Pilate can do much for his son Flavius, now grown to manhood. But a different spirit motivates Flavius' life. He has never forgotten the presence of the martyred Teacher. In love with one of his father's slaves, Claudia, Flavius becomes an enemy of his father. He makes it possible for the slaves the escape. This wild horde threatening the very existence of Rome, the dramatic situation is menacing and is made more so when Flavius actually casts his lot with them. But the power of Roman arms is not to be denied. The slaves, Flavius and Claudia among them, are to be massacred for the delight of the mob. Marcus sees his son go down in the onslaught. Then the volcano erupts. Lava pours down on the ruins of Pompeii that earthquakes have razed. In the thrilling climax, Marcus with the words of the Teacher ringing in his ears helps Flavius and his bride Claudia to escape, he himself dying. In every way this is a big picture, rich in all the necessities required by any type of showman to satisfy the demands of his patrons. There's a story to sell and there's amazing production to help make the appeal of that story more impressive. The strength or weakness of cast names—and the personalities presented are worthy of anyone's best efforts—is of little comparative significance. All that is needed is a sincere effort to convince the public of the show's worth, a matter for which all the essentials are provided. —McCarthy —Motion Picture Herald, Oct. 12, 1935, p. 40 |
"Gives seekers after thrills something to remember." —Denver Post
"You'll want to see it." —Denver Rocky Mt. News
"Will startle the motion picture public." —Washington Star
"A gigantic spectacle ... magnificent in scope." —Washington Times
"Hits a new high for sensationalism." —Washington Post
"A magnificent achievement." —Washington Herald
 Basil Rathbone and John Wood |
 Preston Foster, Basil Rathbone and John Wood |
"Colorful, exciting, and building toward a smashing climax." —Washington News
"Powerful film." —San Francisco Examiner
"Will be talked about for weeks." —San Francisco News
"A vivid spectacle." —San Francisco Call-Bulletin
"Superb entertainment." —San Francisco Chronicle
 As
a spectacle, this production rates high in the month's ratings. As
out-and-out dramatic fare, it is still above the average, although we
believe the photographers and the technical department are the real
stars of the picture. Sets are gorgeous, and the scenes of the
destruction of Pompeii are actually breath-taking in their seeming
reality. For those scenes alone the picture can be highly recommended.
The story is not the tale we all know, for the producers have taken it
upon themselves to make a complete change in that department. We now
find "The Last Days of Pompeii" to be a story of a poor young
blacksmith (Preston Foster) who decides, after his wife and son die,
because he has no funds for their proper care, that money and power
shall be his gods. He attains hi ends only to find everything he has
built up shattered before him, and the real truth coming to him. An
excellent cast is headed by Basil Rathbone, David Holt, Louis Calhern,
John Wood and Dorothy Wilson.Research on this picture took longer than any yet undertaken by RKO Studios. For a year and a half, experts waded through material on the ancient days of Pompeii, on costumes and customs of the people, and particularly on the architectural developments of the time. Merian C. Cooper, the producer, took a special trip to that part of the globe where Pompeii formerly stood, in order to give it a first-hand once-over and capture the mood of the place. The magnificent sets which were built on the studio lot were beautiful enough for permanent buildings but were wrecked in order to show the final scene of the smoking ruins. The last scene in the picture is an exact replica of the famous painting from which the film takes its name. On the sets were reproduced the Temple of Jupiter, the market and forum, a section of the Arena with 75-foot statues surrounding it, a shopping section of the city, with the potters' shops, silversmith's stores, wine-shops, etc. There were also built on the lot two houses typical of that time. They were complete in every detail with the rooms opening off a central courtyard as in the good ol' days. Props for this picture ran up into Big Money. For wigs alone, $8000 was spent, to say nothing of the cost of hundreds of suits of armor, chariots and costumes. —Modern Screen, December 1935, p. 10 |
Other films were produced with same title, The Last Days of Pompeii, but different plots in 1908, 1913, 1926, 1959, and 1984.
 Pilate meets with Marcus immediately after condemning Jesus. |
 Pilate shares a meal with Marcus and the Prefect (Louis Calhern) in Marcus's home. |
See Page Two for pictures of posters, lobby cards and promo photos.
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The Last Days of Pompeii is available on DVD
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