"Sign of the Pagan" tends to live in the shadow of the great 1950's Hollywood epics such as "Quo Vadis", "The Robe", and "Helen of Troy" among others.
Based on Attila the Hun's invasion of the Roman Empire, "Sign of the Pagan" stars Jack Palance as Attila. Although the script plays fast and loose with history, most of the characters are based on real historical figures including Jeff Chandler's Marcian, who became the ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire.
There are some powerful scenes in the film although many of them are shot on foggy, dimly lit sound stages that would suit "Phantom of the Opera". Some nicely rendered glass shots give scope to a few scenes, but the palace interiors are less than sumptuous and look as though they were filmed in a couple of spare rooms at Universal.
The film plays up Attila's superstition regarding Christianity, which seems based on fact; one of the best scenes is when Pope Leo I psyches him out and stops the sacking of Rome.
One disappointment is the way Attila's death is handled. There are a number of versions about how he actually died, but the most popular is that he burst a blood vessel consummating his marriage to Ildico, a hot Ostrogoth princess (Allison Hayes). A tricky one for a 1950's movie, but director Douglas Sirk and the team didn't even try - she still kills him, but far less spectacularly.
It probably doesn't pay to be too pedantic about costuming in a film such as this, but the Roman Army seems equipped with armour and weapons from a far earlier time; this was the early 5th Century AD and things had changed over five-hundred years - the costuming here is a little like making a movie about D-Day with U.S. troops hitting Omaha Beach wearing the uniforms of George Washington's Continental Army.
Although it is hard to see a modern audience getting too much out of "Sign of the Pagan" - a mini-series such as "Rome" has higher production values - I still enjoy this film.
Maybe its partly nostalgia, but I find it fascinating watching actors as unique as Jeff Chandler and Jack Palance. With chiselled features and prematurely grey hair, Chandler had a great presence even if he was a little wooden, but Jack Palance was a scene-stealer in every film he did, and he made a perfect Attila - all he needed was a bigger horde behind him.
Based on Attila the Hun's invasion of the Roman Empire, "Sign of the Pagan" stars Jack Palance as Attila. Although the script plays fast and loose with history, most of the characters are based on real historical figures including Jeff Chandler's Marcian, who became the ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire.
There are some powerful scenes in the film although many of them are shot on foggy, dimly lit sound stages that would suit "Phantom of the Opera". Some nicely rendered glass shots give scope to a few scenes, but the palace interiors are less than sumptuous and look as though they were filmed in a couple of spare rooms at Universal.
The film plays up Attila's superstition regarding Christianity, which seems based on fact; one of the best scenes is when Pope Leo I psyches him out and stops the sacking of Rome.
One disappointment is the way Attila's death is handled. There are a number of versions about how he actually died, but the most popular is that he burst a blood vessel consummating his marriage to Ildico, a hot Ostrogoth princess (Allison Hayes). A tricky one for a 1950's movie, but director Douglas Sirk and the team didn't even try - she still kills him, but far less spectacularly.
It probably doesn't pay to be too pedantic about costuming in a film such as this, but the Roman Army seems equipped with armour and weapons from a far earlier time; this was the early 5th Century AD and things had changed over five-hundred years - the costuming here is a little like making a movie about D-Day with U.S. troops hitting Omaha Beach wearing the uniforms of George Washington's Continental Army.
Although it is hard to see a modern audience getting too much out of "Sign of the Pagan" - a mini-series such as "Rome" has higher production values - I still enjoy this film.
Maybe its partly nostalgia, but I find it fascinating watching actors as unique as Jeff Chandler and Jack Palance. With chiselled features and prematurely grey hair, Chandler had a great presence even if he was a little wooden, but Jack Palance was a scene-stealer in every film he did, and he made a perfect Attila - all he needed was a bigger horde behind him.