Nero and Poppaea, played by Peter Ustinov and Patricia Laffan, are a match made in Hades. The two characters are wonderfully played by both actors with Ustinov giving an outstanding performance that even if it was early in his career, imo, he never really surpassed it, even compared to both of his Best Supporting Actor Oscar winning roles.
In the scene below, Nero shows Neropolis to his cohorts and yes-folks (Nero didn't have any friends) and decides to burn Rome in order to get rid of the old and bring in the new. While Rome burns, Poppaea is the one who gives the idea to Nero that the deadly disastrous fire was caused by Christians. I doubt that's how it happened but it makes for great entertainment.
2 comments:
I think that Ustinov was pretty good in Billy Budd, and as the slave in The Robe (I think). You know, the guy with only one eye who had a jewel stashed in it. Or maybe it was Sparticus. You would knew far better than I.
I'm not saying he wasn't good in other films but that he never really surpassed his performance as Nero. Ustinov wasn't in THE ROBE but THE EGYPTIAN. He also was in SPARTACUS.
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