The Last Days Of Pompeii (1984)

Set in 79 A.D. in the coastal city of Pompeii, a disparate group of characters engage in political intrigue, romantic liaisons and religious fervor while the volcanic Mt. Vesuvius rumbles and shakes in the distance. Among them: a Greek noble (Nicholas Clay), a corrupt Egyptian priest (Franco Nero), a prostitute (Lesley Anne Down), a gladiator trainer (Ernest Borgnine), an ambitious politician (Ned Beatty), a soon to be priestess (Olivia Hussey), a blind slave (Linda Purl) and a dying aristocrat (Laurence Olivier, looking frail). Based on the 1834 novel by Edward Bulwer Lytton and directed by Peter Hunt (ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE). Lytton's novel has been filmed several times for film and TV, the most notable version being the 1935 film which bore little resemblance to the book. Running over four and a half hours which allows this version to adhere closer to the book than previous versions. It's really nothing more than a soap opera done on a lavish scale and if you've a soft spot for these Ancient Rome epics then you might enjoy it, others may be frustrated in its clunky storytelling. There are too many characters for any detailed characterizations so we get cliched broad strokes especially in the hilariously miscast Ned Beatty, as out of place in Ancient Rome as a hillbilly. The cinematography is by the great Jack Cardiff (BLACK NARCISSUS). With Anthony Quayle, Brian Blessed, Siobhan McKenna, Duncan Regehr, Marilu Tolo, Catronia MacColl and Benedict Taylor.