Les derniers jours de Pompei

I love silent films. Not just the later polished ones of the 1920s, but even the early and very early ones. So, because I have seen any where from 1000-2000 silents, I can see the context for films like "The Last Days of Pompeii". And so, while some might say 'wow--that movie was boring', I actually marvel at what a HUGE accomplishment the film was when it debuted. You see, lengthy films like this one were pretty much unheard of and a long film might be 15-20 minutes long (like "The Great Train Robbery" or "The Voyage To The Moon"). So, at almost an hour and a half in length, this WAS a radical departure for films. I have seen documentaries that have proclaimed that "Birth of a Nation" was THE first full-length film, but "The Last Days of Pompeii" debuted two years earlier. As for the sets, while the backgrounds were often giant paintings, often they were not and the realism was great for 1913. There were real live lions and a nice crowd scene. The costuming was also GENERALLY good for its time, but what's with including all these ridiculously attired Egyptians in Italy?! It's as if someone said "We're running short on costumes--quick, dress some of the extras up as Egyptians!". Another problem with the film is that plot. While the story of the blind girl and the lovers is mildly interesting--it's only mildly interesting. The narrative isn't enthralling, though the sad ending was...well...sad.

Rating this film is tough. When seen today, its deficiencies are obvious. But, in 1913, it created quite a stir--and rightfully so. There also is the historical importance of the film to think about...so coming up with a numerical score is problematic. I'd give it an 8 simply because of its originality and scope.

By the way, if you are looking to see the best film about Pompeii, see the made for TV movie "Pompeii: The Last Day" (2003). It's simply outstanding in every way and quite touching as it dramatizes (in a very realistic way) the final moments of some of the volcano's victims.

I am so sorry to say, even though this film adaption of "Last Days of Pompeii" (Gli Ultimi Giorni di Pompeii) is suppose to be very serious, but as I watched it back in my old High School history class, I just could not help but break out into fits of laughter.

Is it me, or does most of the people who acted in this film look like they had their overdosage of sugar and caffeine? Yeah, I wonder that too, because everyone, and I mean EVERYONE in this film looks like they are way too hyperactive to be in this film. But hey, at least it was a SILENT film, right folk? Right. There is even a few scenes in the film where the actress who played Nydia was trying to hold back her laughter.

If you see this film in a history class, or if you plan to rent the film, be prepaired to hold back laughing at something that is suppose to be serious.

WARNING: Do not watch this film after having intense facial surgery or an operation on your body.

This silent Italian melodrama may be a challenge for modern viewers, but it's a "must" for real fans of the silent era. Along with other early Italian epics now available in great DVD editions, such as "Cabiria" from 1914, these movies remind Americans that before World War I, European filmmakers were creative pioneers who stretched the medium and the imaginations of American directors. This film version of the "Pompeii" story was shot with static cameras and looks a bit like a broadly acted stage production transfered to film. But the production is elaborate, featuring stage sets as well as some location shooting. Just watching the images unfold in this twisted tale of love and jealousy on the eve of the disastrous eruption of Mt. Vesuvius can be fascinating as we peer back across the century at this 1913 release. To current sensibilities, the film does reflect some prejudices of its era, including the casting of an Egyptian priest as the mysterious, evil force in Pompeii -- an early example of a century-long demonization of Arab figures in movies. However, for viewers exploring early cinema, who are familiar mainly with slapstick comedies and D.W. Griffith, watching a pre-WWI Italian epic like this can be a fascinating experience.

The romance of Glaucus and Ione (called Jone here) plus the hopeless love of blind Nidia, intertwine with the nefarious machinations of an Egyptian priest, to make up most of the story. For its time, this was a new departure in cinema, but today it will strike most viewers as too tame. There is no camera movement. Title cards carry little or no dialog. And most evidently the cast was not chosen for physical attractiveness, men or women. Still the story gets told, and rather catches one up, especially the portion of the plot involving blind Nidia. The special effects depicting the eruption of Vesuvius are not bad for 1913, but don't expect anything like the documentaries of the eruption of Hawaiian volcanoes!

Despite its old-fashioned format and performances, this early full-length feature is still of some interest, at least historically, and it is probably a little better as a movie than many give it credit for. It was quite an ambitious attempt to tell a relatively involved story with some large-scale settings and a few special visual effects.

It follows a formula that may be even more popular now than it was in the 1910's: take a tumultuous historical event, introduce a set of fictional characters, and show what was going on in their lives when the event took place. In this respect, "The Last Days of Pompeii" may to some degree have established the formula that is still being used for films such as "Titanic", "Pearl Harbor" and many others. If you adjust for the limitations of its era, "The Last Days of Pompeii" is at least as good as those films, as well as many others of the genre.

The story, though sometimes too melodramatic and implausible, is interesting enough most of the time, and while the settings aren't going to impress anyone now, they do display a fair amount of creative effort. None of the cast give particularly strong performances, but their acting styles are not inherently any worse than the acting styles of the present. Some of the present day's most popular performers use affected, artificial styles that are trendy now, but that won't look any better in 90 years than the histrionics of this Italian cast look today.

There's no denying the weaknesses, many of which come from the tableau format and/or from inexperience with telling a full-length story on the silent screen. There are some stretches, especially in the first half, which move very slowly. Some of the characters, especially Nidia, could have been much more compelling with more creative filming and acting.

Within just a few years, the stereotyped tableau format would be largely abandoned, better ways of telling a story would be developed, and better ways of integrating the camera and the performers would be devised. While that might not make this film any better in itself, it was the first few ambitious attempts like "The Last Days of Pompeii" that helped lead to such improvements. While it's only an average film in itself, it deserves also to be remembered as a pioneering effort.