The Last Days of Pompeii 40 years old
This seven-hour British-Italian adaptation of Edward Bulwer-Lytton's 1834 epic, set against the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. and previously filmed in 1935, and in 1960 was a vehicle for muscleman Steve Reeves, was trashed by the critics as the campiest of sword and sandal sagas to emerge in years. This despite its reported $19-million price tag, the nobility of its cast that includes Laurence Olivier, Siobhan McKenna and Anthony Quayle, and its rather unspectacular special effects. The central figures are Nicholas Clay as Glaucus, the noble Athenian; Olivia Hussey as the high-born Ione, his love, who is seduced by the Egyptian, Arbaces (Franco Nero), a religious fanatic; Duncan Regehr as Lydon, the champion gladiator; and Linda Purl as the blind slave Nydia, who is torn between Glaucus and Lydon.
Credits
Laurence Olivier
Gaius
Franco Nero
Arbaces
Ernest Borgnine
Marcus
Nicholas Clay
Glaucus
Brian Blessed
Olinthus
Linda Purl
Nydia
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Laurence Olivier He was 76 , 82 years old when he died | as Gaius |
| Franco Nero He was 42 , now 83 years old | as Arbaces |
| Ernest Borgnine He was 67 , 95 years old when he died | as Marcus |
| Nicholas Clay He was 37 , 53 years old when he died | as Glaucus |
| Brian Blessed He was 47 , now 88 years old | as Olinthus |
| Linda Purl She was 28 , now 69 years old | as Nydia |
| Ned Beatty He was 46 , now 87 years old | as Diomed |
| Olivia Hussey She was 33 , now 73 years old | as Ione |
| Benedict Taylor He was 24 , now 64 years old | as Antonius |
| Anthony Quayle He was 70 , 76 years old when he died | as Quintus |
| Lesley-Anne Down She was 30 , now 70 years old | as Chloe |
| Francesca Romana Coluzzi She was 40 , 66 years old when she died | as Stratonice |
| Stephen Greif He was 39 , now 80 years old | as Sporus |
| Siobhán McKenna She was 60 , 63 years old when she died | as Fortunata |
| Duncan Regehr He was 31 , now 72 years old | as Lydon |
| Tony Anholt He was 43 , 61 years old when he died | as Lepidus |
| Catriona MacColl She was 29 , now 70 years old | as Julia |
| Barry Stokes He was 40 , now 80 years old | as Gar |
| Gerry Sundquist He was 28 , 37 years old when he died | as Clodius |
| Brian Croucher He was 42 , now 82 years old | as Melior |
| David Robb He was 36 , now 77 years old | as Sallust |
| Marilù Tolo She was 40 , now 80 years old | as Xenia |
| Peter Cellier He was 56 , now 96 years old | as Calenus |
Crew
| Name | Job title |
|---|---|
| Peter R. Hunt Directing He was 59 , 77 years old when he died | Director |
| Peter H. Hunt Directing He was 45 , now 86 years old | Director |
The Last Days of Pompeii (40 years)
Ended
- First Air Date: 1984-05-06
- Runtime: [140] minutes
- Number of Episodes: 3