I've read about Paul Newman's embarrassment over this film and I finally got a chance to see why when Turner Classics aired it this past Easter Sunday. Newman appears virtually lost here though trying admirably to give his role some semblance of credibility. Nor was he the only one saddled with significant mis-casting by the film makers. Jack Palance was really out there with his characterization of the mad magician Simon, and Lorne Greene as Peter? - I'm really glad these actors found other work afterwards to establish their careers. They could have all been extinguished early by this picture.
But not only was the acting sub-par, the sets reminded me of what was cobbled together to produce the TV Star Trek series, all boxy and static looking. The dialog bordered on the atrocious at times, and one of the goofiest lines was "May your wife be barren as a withered fig tree." I can't even remember who uttered that now, but it was so outlandish I had to write it down. And seriously, there was a character named Benjie the Asker?
All throughout I resisted the urge to laugh at the mindlessness of it all, but it took nearly the entire picture to get there. When Simon the Magician makes his attempt to fly off the Tower of Babel without the benefit of his gear, his disastrous end is critically acclaimed by the emperor Nero who states "He didn't fly." Quite coincidentally, Nero was also critiquing the movie.
But not only was the acting sub-par, the sets reminded me of what was cobbled together to produce the TV Star Trek series, all boxy and static looking. The dialog bordered on the atrocious at times, and one of the goofiest lines was "May your wife be barren as a withered fig tree." I can't even remember who uttered that now, but it was so outlandish I had to write it down. And seriously, there was a character named Benjie the Asker?
All throughout I resisted the urge to laugh at the mindlessness of it all, but it took nearly the entire picture to get there. When Simon the Magician makes his attempt to fly off the Tower of Babel without the benefit of his gear, his disastrous end is critically acclaimed by the emperor Nero who states "He didn't fly." Quite coincidentally, Nero was also critiquing the movie.