ANCIENT SPLENDOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 288, 5 December 1935, Page 10

ANCIENT SPLENDOUR.

"THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII."

The ancient city .of Pompeii, reconstructed from the archaeological remains that are still to be seen near the foot of Mount Vesuvius, is said to live again in all its glory in "The Last Days of Pompeii," which comes to the Civic Theatre to-morrow, as the setting for many of this new film's sequences. The reconstruction in the Hollywood studios included the famous temple of Jupiter which occupied the northern end of the forum of Pompeii} the open square : in front of it, and the market place—a typical Pompeian street. In addition to the buildings and the street, three giant statues of spirited horses, one with a rider, were built for this scene.

But these spectacular settings alone do not make the picture. They are said rather to be a realistic background for a human and deeply-moving drama. It brings Preston Foster, the capable young dramatic star, to the screen in the leading role of Marcus, an embittered man who decides that money means everything, and spares nothing in his quest for wealth. His adventures take him from the gladiators' arena to slave trading and buying horses for chariot races. He eventually beconn's the heqd o£ the arena. The story closes eruption of Vesuvius.