The Epic That Never Was
1969 | 74m | English
Popularity: 3 (history)
| Director: | Bill Duncalf |
|---|---|
| Writer: | |
| Staring: |
| The story of the aborted 1937 filming of "I, Claudius", starring Charles Laughton, with all of its surviving footage. | |
| Release Date: | Sep 19, 1969 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Bill Duncalf |
| Writer: | |
| Genres: | Documentary |
| Keywords | movie business |
| Production Companies | BBC |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: May 07, 2024 Entered: May 04, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Dirk Bogarde | Himself - Host / Narrator |
| Robert Graves | Himself - author of 'I, Claudius' |
| Josef von Sternberg | Himself - Director |
| Merle Oberon | Herself |
| Flora Robson | Herself (Livia) (as Dame Flora Robson) |
| Emlyn Williams | Himself |
| John Abbott | Himself - Ms. Robson's Host |
| Charles Laughton | Claudius |
| Robert Newton | Captain of Caligula's guard |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Bill Duncalf | Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Bill Duncalf | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Trending Position
If you are at all interested in the Robert Graves "I, Claudius" stories then this is a must watch. Dirk Bogarde is superb narrating this hybrid of original, remarkably well preserved, rushes and specially shot interviews with the likes of Merle Oberon and Dame Flora Robson as they describe the logis ... tical and personal nightmares that dogged the attempts by, initially, Sir Alexander Korda and subsequently Josef von Sternberg to turn this classic story into a film. Insightful contributions alert us to the difficulties faced by Charles Laughton ("Claudius") and Emyln Williams ("Caligula") in creating their characterisations and we are given an interesting look at just quite how a film of this stature - grand sets, costumes, Vestal Virgins and orgies was to be put together before - that is - it all went a bit pear-shaped. It's a well put together documentary with plentiful original content to sustain interest and by the end I think I understood why this wonderful story of intrigue, scandal - and sex has never been attempted for the big screen since!