Constantine and the Cross (1960)
Directed by Lionello De Felice / Irving Rapper
Genres - Action, Adventure, Drama, Spirituality & Philosophy |
Sub-Genres - Sword-and-Sandal, Biopic [feature], Costume Adventure |
Release Date - Dec 1, 1962 (USA - Unknown), Dec 1, 1962 (USA) |
Run Time - 120 min. |
Countries - Italy |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Eleanor Mannikka
One of the many Italian sword-and-sandal adventure stories roughly depicting historical events -- sometimes too graphically -- this drama by director Lionello de Felice has its merits. The action moves along at a good clip, as Constantine's (Cornel Wilde) rise to power is depicted, amidst battling armies and political intrigue. All the well-publicized, old Roman entertainments such as feeding Christians to the lions are shown in more detail than might be necessary, leading to one of the main points of featuring Constantine at all -- he was the emperor who gave Christians the freedom to worship as they pleased. His cronies and his enemies, his loves and his successes all have their moment in the sun.
Characteristics
Themes
Keywords
leader, military, battle [war], Christianity, conquest, emperor, espionage, freedom, legion, lion, politician, Roman, romance, sword, torture, warrior, worship [religious]
