The Epic That Never Was Backdrop Blur
The Epic That Never Was Poster

The Epic That Never Was

The story of the aborted 1937 filming of "I, Claudius", starring Charles Laughton, with all of its surviving footage.

Top Cast

  • Dirk Bogarde

    Dirk Bogarde

    Self - Narrator

  • Charles Laughton

    Charles Laughton

    Tiberius Claudius (archive footage)

  • Robert Graves

    Robert Graves

    Self - Interviewee

  • Josef von Sternberg

    Josef von Sternberg

    Self - Interviewee

  • Merle Oberon

    Merle Oberon

    Self - Interviewee / Messalina (archive footage)

  • Flora Robson

    Flora Robson

    Self - Interviewee / Livia (archive footage)

  • Emlyn Williams

    Emlyn Williams

    Self - Interviewee / Caligula (archive footage)

  • Eileen Corbett

    Eileen Corbett

    Self - Interviewee

  • John Armstrong

    John Armstrong

    Self - Interviewee

Overview

The story of the aborted 1937 filming of "I, Claudius", starring Charles Laughton, with all of its surviving footage.

Rating

6.9 / 10
8 Reviews
0 Popular

1 Reviews

  • CinemaSerf
    CinemaSerf
    8 Sep 5, 2024

    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 logistical 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!

Trailers & Clips

Recommendations

Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies

The definitive documentary on the history of nudity in feature films from the early silent days to the present, studying the changes in morality that led to the use of nudity in films while emphasizing the political, sociological and artistic changes that shaped that history. Skin will also study the gender inequality in presenting nude images in motion pictures and will follow the revolution that has created nude gender equality in feature films today.

Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies

6.5 2020
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau

The story of the insane scandals related to the remake of “Island of Dr. Moreau” —originally a novel by H. G. Wells—, which was brought to the big screen in 1996. How director Richard Stanley spent four years developing the project just to find an abrupt end to his work while leading actor Marlon Brando pulled the strings in the shadows. Now for the first time, the living key players recount what really happened and why it all went so spectacularly wrong.

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau

6.7 2014