Before Henry Koster wrapped on 1953's "The Robe," there was already talk to make a sequel at a time when cinematic sequels were a far more rarity. There were many remakes from silents to talkies, and even film characters reprised (i.e. Bing Crosby as Father O'Malley in both "Going My Way" (1944) and "The Bells of St. Mary's" (1945)), but never had there been a sequel made until now. It was entirely a logical decision on Twentieth Century Fox's part based completely on convenience. The sets, costumes and props were already up and three of their cast members in Victor Mature, Michael Rennie, and Jay Robinson were already there with underdeveloped characters. It would also be easier to hype a sequel from a film already in theaters.
Although the two biblical movies were linked, the production schedules weren't. Delmer Davies became director and one of "The Robe"'s screenwriters Phillip Dunne came over to write "Demetrius" off of Lloyd C. Douglas's original characters. Instead of a similar score by Alfred Newman, the freshly Oscar award winning and in demand Franz Waxman came on to create a completely different score.
"Demetrius" picks up where "The Robe" left off. While at the funeral of the martyred Marcellus and Diana, it is Demetrius who is given the robe now. But while waiting to get it back and to put it somewhere safer, Demetrius is arrested for assaulting a Roman soldier and placed in a gladiator school for his fighting abilities. When he finds out the woman he loves had died at the hands of fellow gladiators, Demetrius officially loses his Christian faith and is forced by Caligula to completely denounce the new religion. He becomes a Tribune by the Emperor and starts having an affair with Caligula's uncle's wife. When he is ordered to hunt down the Christians and the robe full of a so-called "power of everlasting life," everything he has known and denounced for these months has been wrong.
Although "The Robe" made more in the box office with 17.5 million, "Demetrius and the Gladiators" ended up grossing 4.25 million in only theatrical rentals and overall 26 million in North America alone. The film ended up becoming the 4th highest grossing film of 1954 alongside "Rear Window" and "White Christmas."
Interesting Links to Check Out:
No comments:
Post a Comment