Hedonistic Roman Emperor Nero (Charles Laughton) cruelly persecutes adherents of the upstart Christian religion. When Roman prefect Marcus Superbus (Frederic March) encounters beautiful Mercia, a devout Christian, his sympathetic attentions arouse the jealousy of Empress Poppaea (Claudette Colbert), who desires him. The heated drama climaxes at the arena where Christians and others are sacrificed amid perverse and savage games. A smash hit, the film proclaimed director Cecil B. DeMille's triumphant return to Paramount, where his career had first blossomed, following a period of independent production and a brief period at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film also features a quintessential DeMille flourish: Poppaea's sensous bath in a sunken tub filled with asses' milk.
Paramount Publix Corp. Producer/Director: Cecil B. DeMille. Screenwriter: Waldemar Young, Sidney Bushman. Based on the play by Wilson Barrett. Cinematographer: Karl Struss. Editor: Anne Bauchens. Cast: Fredric March, Elissa Landi, Claudette Colbert, Charles Laughton, Ian Keith. 35mm, b/w, 124 min.
