The Bottom Line: Big budget director of biblical epics Cecil B. DeMille exhibits gratuitous sex and violence, all in the name of religion. Yeah, right!
Director Cecil B. DeMille's epic story the "Sign of the Cross" was the third of his big biblical epics, following The Ten Commandments and King of Kings. "Sign of the Cross" was released in 1932, in the days before censorship was brought to Hollywood. The original release had examples of sex and sadism that would appear totally out of place in a movie even today. Take, for example, beautiful Claudette Colbert's unabashed milk bath, or the eye-popping "Dance of the Naked Moon", with its frank lesbian overtones. There is more down to earth sensuality in those scenes than in most Hollywood movies, or even porno movies I've seen. Of course, most of that was taken out by the censors around WWII. Happily, it has been restored in the 1995 Universal video release of the classic film. The feeding of Christians to the various wild beasts in the arena would also be wildly protested by many viewers today. The violence, with its sadistic overtones, is real enough to cause you to turn away, and this without the special effects that make up so much of what we see on film today!
The story is basically a thin one -- debauched Rome, virtuous Christians, with Charles Laughton as Emperor Nero and Claudette Colbert as "Poppaea", leading the decadence and Elissa Landi as "Mercia" the spearhead of the virtuous. Frederic March, as "Marcus Superbus" is a high-ranking Roman in love with chaste Mercia, chased by Caesar's wife Poppaea, torn between the two extremes.
The "Sign of the Cross" is worth seeing just to know that films contained some real acting and racy footage back in those pre-censorship days. Grandma and grandpa weren't so square, after all!
Viewers who enjoy this film will also like "Cleopatra (1934)", "Beau Geste", "The Crusades", "Gunga Din", and "Lives of a Bengal Lancer".
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