Nero's great nights
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Nero's great nights |
| Original title | Mio figlio Nerone |
| Country of production | Italy |
| original language | Italian , English |
| Publishing year | 1956 |
| length | 88 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Stefano Vanzina |
| script | Stefano Vanzina Alberto Sordi Rodolfo Sonego Sandro Continenza |
| production | Franco Cristaldi |
| music | Angelo Francesco Lavagnino |
| camera | Mario Bava |
| cut | Mario Serandrei |
| occupation | |
and Rina De Liguoro , Nino Vingelli , Renato Terra , Sandra Milo | |
Nero's Great Nights is a parodic, Italian comedy film from 1956 by Stefano Vanzina with Alberto Sordi in the title role. An impressive international star team was grouped around him: Vittorio De Sica , Hollywood star Gloria Swanson and the French girl Brigitte Bardot, who has just achieved her first film fame .
action
In ancient Rome, in the 1960s after the birth of Christ. The still young, but rather stupid, uncontrolled and infantile Emperor Nero spends most of the time in his magnificent villa in Bauli on the coast. He is surrounded by lazy and useless friends and courtiers, but also by his beautiful and young lover Poppäa and by the age-old philosopher Seneca , who serves him as a political advisor, but also to flatter the ruler for his alleged artistic skills such as singing or composition and has to pay homage. The fact that Nero leads a completely relaxed life here far away from the political business in Rome and concentrates entirely on creating a great stage spectacle with himself is quite right for the old, cunning fox, as Seneca knows that the emperor in eternity City would only wreak havoc. But then one day Nero's mother Agrippina appears on the map, and the quiet times are soon over. Agrippina strongly reminds her son of his political commitments and expects him to set out to travel back to Rome. But the spoiled ruler has no desire to rule or to wage war, and so he plans to poison the maternal pain in the ass.
The old woman, however, proves to be as tough as she is clever and now again begins to upset her son against the nodding and drooling in his environment. Easily influenced how Nero is, he now plans instead to murder his favorites in order to finally finish the preparations for his great cultural performance in peace; an idea from which Seneca can with difficulty dissuade him again. Since Nero thinks that somebody around him should die a violent death again, he plans to kill his mother again; this time as part of a staged shipwreck. But even this crazy idea goes completely wrong, and Agrippina returns unscathed to the villa domicile of her characterless son. Agrippina now joins forces with Poppaea and Seneca, and they think about how to bring the emperor back to his senses. Agrippina promises Poppäa not to oppose the planned marriage to Nero if she would finally stop him from singing. When it is made clear to Nero that his singing resembles the howling of a dog, the emperor finally goes crazy, lets Rome go up in flames and kills his mother, Seneca and Poppäa, so that he can finally devote himself entirely to singing and theater.
Production notes
Nero's Great Nights premiered on September 13, 1956. The German premiere took place on December 6, 1957.
For Gloria Swanson, flown in from the USA, this was the penultimate film role.
The film structures were designed by Piero Filippone , the costumes by Veniero Colasanti . Gianni Polidori took over the equipment, head cameraman Mario Bava was also responsible for the special effects. Lucio Fulci was one of two assistant directors.
Reviews
The Italian film critic said in La Stampa : “It has often been regretted that our happy cinema threw away the films without consideration: Here is someone who, under formal respect, is the opposite of lightness, who even has almost sophistication. (...) The fun overall is moderate (...) A completely disoriented Gloria Swanson in the role of the fabulous mother. And Vittorio De Sica, struggling with the most consistent character of the script, outlines his Seneca quite unprecedented and delicious. As far as the decorative element is concerned ... this rightly belongs to Brigitte Bardot, a Poppea who has all the physical and anecdotal demands (bathing in milk). "
“A parodic painting of the times, sometimes clumsy and vulgar, sometimes a witty and witty look behind the scenes of world history. Entertaining fun. "
Web links
- Nero's great nights in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ La Stampa, September 20, 1956 edition.
- ↑ Nero's great nights. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed December 24, 2018 .