ed.bishop

This film was recently shown on British TV. I remember seeing the original in St. John's Newfoundland during my national service in the US Army. It was impressive then but, alas, not now! It was just one of many Hollywood attempts to get people away from the TV set and back into the movie theaters. Burton was just starting his career and he seemed awed and somewhat subdued in this film.

Unfortunately its main purpose today is as a source for laughter. Two early scenes, 2 handers, were played behind a mammoth statue with the statues rear end dominating the screen behind the actors! I guess Burton just did not yet have the clout to say "No way, Jose'"! Also spot some of the horrendous continuity errors and look out for the "dead" extra who moves his foot away from an advancing horse. Poor Harry Andrews (an excellent actor) as the dead Darius just carries on breathing as an intolerably long shot lingers on him. I don't blame him!

It was in this film that the legendary stuntman, Paddy Ryan, did a spectacular fall into an amazingly small amount of water. I started working in the UK in 1960 and there was still talk among casts and crews of Paddy's famous fall. I met Paddy a few times and asked him about the stunt dive. He said it was no big deal. He remembered being asked by some publicist why he did such dangerous things. He replied that he looked down from the great height, imagined he saw his pay check lying there, and took off! I suggested that he should write his memoirs. He said he had started and had spent a long time writing it all out by hand and had almost finished when his manuscript was stolen from, if I remember correctly, his car. He said he was too fed up to sit down and do it all again. What a loss!