The Sign of the Cross
A picture which will proudly lead all the entertainments the world has ever seen
The Sign of the Cross (1932)
Production
Budget
$694 065
Revenue
$2 738 993
Director
Scenario
Waldemar Young
Producer
Actors
Fredric March
Marcus Superbus - Prefect of Rome
Elissa Landi
Mercia
Claudette Colbert
Empress Poppaea
Charles Laughton
Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar
Ian Keith
Tigellinus
Arthur Hohl
Titus
Harry Beresford
Favius Fontelas
Tommy Conlon
Stephan
Short description
A Roman soldier becomes torn between his love for a Christian woman and his loyalty to Emperor Nero.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film was shot in Fresno, California.
- In the bathing scene, censors ordered that Claudette Colbert's (1903-1996) belly button be 'removed' from her stomach.
- The film originally ran for 124 minutes, but after the Hays Code came into effect, some scenes deemed most 'depraved' by the commission—such as the empress bathing in a marble tub (a perfectly innocent scene by today's standards)—were cut.
- Cecil B. DeMille's previous films had failed at the box office, and he agreed to film this movie with an incredibly low payroll and budget. Art director Mitchell Leisen (1898-1972) and manager Roy Burns were the only people from his previous films whom he was permitted to bring onto this production, and even they worked for pittance. Paramount Pictures appointed Alexander Hall (1894-1968) to edit the film, but DeMille managed to replace him with Anne Bauchens (1882-1967), who had edited his earlier movies.
- It is claimed that director and producer Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959) heard John Carradine's (1906-1988) booming voice on Hollywood Boulevard and chased the unemployed actor until he caught up with him. Carradine subsequently appeared in five of DeMille's films.
Similar movies
1935
7.8/10
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
