starring Victor Mature, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie
directed by Delmer Daves
101 minutes
Demetrius (Victor Mature) a free man, who was once a slave, is sentenced to the arena after he refuses to help the Roman Emperor Caligula get his hands on Peter (Michael Rennie) or the robe of Jesus Christ. He refuses to fight at first, because he is a Christian, but subsequently decides that he will kill if his survival depends upon it. He continues to be a follower of the faith that Jesus espoused until his lover Lucia is killed by one of the other gladiators.
Demetrius gets his revenge, in the arena, on the gladiators who tormented Lucia and were responsible for her death. His display of skill is so impressive that he is freed and inducted into the Praetorian Guard. Demetrius renounces his faith and becomes the lover of Messalina (Susan Hayward), wife of future Roman Emperor Claudius (uncle of Caligula). He reverts back to Christianity after discovering that Lucia is still alive (but in a coma) and then witnesses her revival after he has a flashback to the crucifixion of Jesus.
Demetrius recovers the robe and gives it to Caligula who sentences Demetrius back to the arena after he discovers that it doesn't possess and magic properties. Demetrious refuses to fight but he is saved by might of the Praetorian Guard that rises up against Caligula when they see how he is treating one of their own.
Thoughts
I wasn't too crazy about this film. None of the performances were terribly impressive or noteworthy. I've seen all three of the leads in other films. There were a few other actors in this production that I recognized from other things I have watched including Anne Bancroft, William Marshall, and Earnest Borgnine. Woody Strode and Julie Newmar were also in this film, according to IMDb, although I didn't notice either one of them when I was watching it.
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