Underplayed Gems

The Sign of the Cross (1932)

The Sign of the Cross poster
Directed by
Cecil B. DeMille
Genre
history, drama film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 48m
Rated
NR
Rating
6.4 of 10 from 50 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A Roman prefect falls in love with a Christian woman during Nero's reign. His loyalty to her faith clashes with his duties to the emperor.

old-fashioneddramaticepic-scaleslow-pacedcerebralvisually lushtheatricalbleak

What happens

The Sign of the Cross is a 1932 American pre-Code epic historical drama film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and released by Paramount Pictures. Based on the original 1895 play by English playwright Wilson Barrett, the screenplay was written by Waldemar Young and Sidney Buchman. It stars Fredric March, Elissa Landi, Claudette Colbert, and Charles Laughton, with Ian Keith and Arthur Hohl. This film is the third and last in DeMille's biblical trilogy, following The Ten Commandments (1923) and The King of Kings (1927). Both play and film have a strong resemblance to the 1895–96 novel Quo Vadis and, like the novel, take place in ancient Rome during the reign of Nero. The art direction and costume design were by Mitchell Leisen, who also acted as assistant director. The Sign of the Cross premiered on November 30, 1932, and was a financial hit. Karl Struss was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 6th Academy Awards. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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