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''The Last Days of Pompeii'' (1959) ((イタリア語:Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei)) is an Italian sword and sandal action film starring Steve Reeves, Christine Kaufmann, and Fernando Rey and directed by Sergio Leone. Mario Bonnard, the original director, fell ill on the first day of shooting, so Leone and the scriptwriters finished the film. The film is characterized by its CinemaScope framing and lavish look and is one of many films produced during the 1960s as part of the "peplum" sword and sandal craze, originally launched by Pietro Francisci's 1958 film ''Le fatiche di Ercole'', released as ''Hercules'' in the United States by Joseph E. Levine. The film is also interesting as an early example of Leone's work, which would soon become internationally popular with his series of spaghetti westerns starring Clint Eastwood. In his use of widescreen, as well as his penchant for colorful violence and outlandish plot twists, Leone displayed a visual flair that would soon propel him to directorial fame. == Plot == Glaucus, a centurion returning to his home in Pompeii after a spell in Palestine, arrives on the edge of town just in time to see Ione, the beautiful daughter of the city's Consul, lose control of her chariot. Glaucus saves Ione's life and then heads into town to see his father. On the way, Glaucus intervenes in defense of a thief named Antonius, who is being severely punished on orders given by Gallinus, a Praetorian Guard. On arriving at his father's house, Glaucus discovers that it has been looted and his father murdered by a band of ruthless hooded thieves who have been terrorizing the city, always leaving a cross painted on a wall as a calling card. Glaucus vows revenge against the killers. In order to convince the Emperor that the mass murders are not a sign of trouble, Ascanius, the Consul of Pompeii, orders a city-wide festival. In the streets, Antonius rolls a drunken soldier and steals his pouch. The pouch contains a ring that belonged to Glaucus's father and a black hood identical to that worn by the band of killers. Antonius brings the ring to Glaucus's friend Marcus, who follows the suspicious soldier to Pompeii's Temple of Isis. But before Marcus can tell anybody what he has discovered, he is killed by Arbaces, the High Priest of Isis, and his body is left to be found with a Christian cross carved into it. During the festival Glaucus takes out his anger by getting drunk and crashes a party at Ascanius's house. There, the disreputable Praetorian Guard Gallinus tries to rape Nydia, Ione’s blind slave, much to the amusement of the crowd. Glaucus defends Nydia, easily defeating Gallinus in a fight. The next day Marcus's funeral is held, with Glaucus and Antonius in attendance. After the ceremony, Antonius reaffirms his anti-Christian prejudices. But Nydia is a Christian, and thinking she is addressing Antonius, says that he should attend a secret Christian gathering to find out how good the Christians really are, and tells him how to find it. However, it is Gallinus who hears her plea. Gallinus is in charge of persecuting Christians and, with this piece of information, that night rounds up and imprisons all the Christians. The leader of the Christians is tortured with his followers. They are condemned to death, accused of the crime wave that has affected Pompeii. Glaucus and Ione have fallen in love, and convinced that the Christians have been falsely accused, he heads to Herculanum to intervene in their favor with Ione's father, who has left Pompeii. On his way, Glaucus is ambushed by the hooded men. He survives the attack, arriving injured at Ascanius's retreat. Meanwhile, Antonius follows Marcus's killer to the temple of Isis, discovering that the men in the hooded masks are working under Arbaces's orders. Antonius arrives at Herculenum and informs Glaucus and Ascanius of his discovery. As proof, he tells them that the treasures stolen from the citizens of Pompeii are hidden in the temple of Isis. Once back in Pompeii, Antonius recruits the help of Helios and Caios, Glaucus's army friends. At the temple of Isis, Glaucus fights off both Arbaces and Gallinus, but he is thrown into a secret ditch and finds himself in a waterlogged underground chamber wrestling with a crocodile. He wins the fight and escapes the trap. Julia, the Consul's Egyptian mistress, is in fact the mastermind behind the crimes of the black-hooded men and the dirty dealing of Gallinus and Ascanius. They are raising funds to finance an uprising against the Roman Empire. She confesses this to Ascanius and stabs him, blaming Glaucus for the killing. Accused of murder, Glaucus is imprisoned near the Christians. Ione tries to come to his defense, but since she has converted to Christianity, she is also sent to prison. The Christians are tossed into the arena to be devoured by lions, but Glaucus manages to pull his chains from out of a lump of rock, stabs the lion, and spears two gladiators sent to kill him. A band of bow-men, including friends of Antonius and Glaucus, arrive wearing masks and attack those who had condemned the Christians. Opening fire on the royal box, they kill Gallinus with their arrows. As the city troops arrive to stop them, Mount Vesuvius erupts. In the chaos, everyone tries to escape. Julia and Arbaces are crushed at the temple of Isis by the falling masonry while trying to retrieve their treasure. Nydia dies in Antonius's arms, killed by falling debris. Glaucus swims through a burning harbor. With Ione, he survives Pompeii's destruction, sailing toward open sea. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Last Days of Pompeii (1959 film)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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