US half sheet of THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII (1935)
Aside from Basil Rathbone, there were no big stars in this PEPLUM of the 1930s (which were rare). They should have focused more on the destruction of Pompeii. This design was pretty much the standard for that era. I had a poster for original KING KONG and it looks exactly like this one.
5 comments:
Despite its limitations this is still a first rate Peplum in my view.
I'm sure Preston Foster was considered a "big star" at the time.
This is a pretty good movie with the exception of the typical Hollywood interpretation of history and years. What I mean is when his son is very young he takes him to Jerusalem where they witness the crucifixion and when the destruction of Pompeii takes place is a difference at least 46 years!!! The son in the movie should of been in his early 50's instead of maybe late 20's. This seems to be the case in nearly all Peplum movies where history and time take a back seat. I still love to watch them anyway. I finally watched that HERCULES REBORN and boy did they screw that up. Ancient Greeks in Roman Uniforms, Herc killing his family in 13BC? GIVE ME A BREAK Very bad movie.
The story of Pompeii's destruction has become something of a historical romance / tragedy, so factuality goes out the window in most cinematic retellings.
For RKO this was an A-list production, so whoever was cast in the movie were considered bankable. Alan Hale started his career in the silents, and then went on to become a mainstay in big and smal Hollywood productions. Often paired with Errol Flynn, the two men were buddies privately.
Most of the production crew for RKO's "King Kong" were involved in this production, including Kong animator Willis Obrien, who contributed various optical effects, and Marcel and Victor Delgado, puppet and prop makers for "Kong". Among other things they built a huge swordfish prop, which apparently was to be included in a scrapped scene where gladiators fight sharks, octopi, and other dangerous marine life in a water-filled arena. That would've been a truly weird and spectacular Peplum moment!
It was also going to be in Technicolor until RKO cut the budget.
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