Sign of the Pagan *** (1954, Jeff Chandler, Jack Palance, Rita Gam, Ludmilla Tchérina) – Classic Movie Review 3494

Director Douglas Sirk’s 1954 historical adventure epic stars Jack Palance, who cuts a memorable figure as Atilla the Hun, parading in breastplate armour and trying to obliterate Rome.

But meanwhile Jeff Chandler is splendidly miscast as the centurian Marcian, who tries to talk the Roman Emperor Theodosius (George Dolenz) into mounting a defence campaign for Rome.

Oscar Brodney and Barre Lyndon’s confidently unhistorical screenplay casts a bit of blight with lines like ‘I shall not soon find such another stallion’.

However, director Sirk, battling against the odds, still gives the Universal studio’s costume drama considerable style and much visual distinction, with the help of Russell Metty’s strikingly handsome widescreen colour cinematography. Admittedly, Sirk was much happier on safer ground with Fifties contemporary melodramas like Magnificent Obsession, but he still does a good job here, considering.

It also stars Rita Gam as Kubra, Ludmilla Tcherina as Princess Pulcheria and Jeff Morrow as General Paulinus.

Also in the cast are Eduard Franz, Alexander Scourby, Allison Hayes, Sara Shane, Walter Coy, Pat Hogan, Howard Petrie, Michael Ansara, Leo Gordon, Moroni Olsen and Charles Horvarth.

Roger Corman borrowed footage from this movie to complete his troubled Greek epic, Atlas (1961).

Rita Gam died on 22 March 2016, aged 88.

Anthony Quinn stars as an unconvincing Hun in director Pietro Francisci’s risibly fumbled 1954 Italian historical epic spectacular Attila the Hun. The story was remade for TV by director Dick Lowry in 2000 as Attila the Hun, with Gerald Butler as Attila the Hun.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3494

Link to home page for more reviews derekwinnert.com