I am generally wary of Hollywood's take on ancient Rome, so this flick was a pleasant surprise. Unlike for example Ben-Hur (1959), which is fantasy dressed up in more or less Roman-looking costumes and as such an insult to history, 'Demetrius and the Gladiators' does make an effort to place its material in the actual context of the early to mid-first century. Moreover, this effort is quite successful, especially where the film draws on the characterisation of individuals as given, for example, in Sueton's slightly later (but well-researched) biographies of the early Roman emperors. Caligula (Jay Robinson) is spot on: mad in a threatening way. Claudius (Barry Jones), Caligula's uncle and successor, is drawn equally well, but perhaps in a way that owes more to Robert Ranke-Graves than Sueton. I was surprised by the sympathetic portrayal of Messalina (Susan Hayward), who does actually have a believable character, but this fits the plot. Also, who knows whether what Tacitus, Sueton etc. Said about her amounts to anything but an entirely unjustified case of character-assassination? As for the plot, this is perfectly fine: it moves fast enough (the whole film takes no more than 100 minutes) and is suspenseful. Acting is good throughout, even in minor roles (e.g. Ernest Borgnine as trainer of the gladiators - again, not a one-dimensional character). The sets are well-made, and the Christian theme, which is of course central to the plot, is not too much in-your-face. All in all, not a bad movie at all!
