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‘Pompeii’ inspires plenty of filmmakers JOHN ANDERSON MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE NEWS
Some filmmakers wouldn’t know a good plotline from a hole in the ground. But plenty of filmmakers have found a good plotline in a hole in the ground. Specifically: the superheated crater of Mount Vesuvius, which erupted in the year AD 79, incinerating the Roman city of Pompeii and bestowing upon it a kind of instant immortality — one that thousands of people could have lived without. This week, one more entry in the lengthy catalog of Pompeii movies becomes available to viewers: “Pompeii,” director Paul W.S. Anderson’s technically ambitious, 3-D re-creation/ gladiator adventure starring Kit Harington, Emily Browning and Kiefer Sutherland, comes to theaters Friday. In the movie, Milo (Harington of “Game of Thrones”) is a member of a Celtic tribe and now a Roman slave and gladiator who saw his family murdered by the evil Corvus (Sutherland). Brought to Pompeii, Milo seems fated to
we delved into some of the translated ancient docu‘Pompeii’ ments. There are records of what Pompeii was like Rated PG-13 for intense action, language; starring Kit — it had the second-largest Harrington, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Browning, Adewale coliseum, it was the top Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica Lucas and Jared Harris; gladiator venue after Rome. directed by Paul W.S. Anderson; opening Friday at AMC 8 It was a golden city, Las in Marion and ShowPlace 8 in Carbondale. Vegas-meets-Beverly Hillsmaking the movie, and what by-the-sea.” battle the other undefeated Lee Batchler said what happened when the volcano warrior, Atticus (Adewale they were striving for was exploded, the more I realAkinnuoye-Agbaje). Milo “history without a hisized the actual details were may have little in the way tory lesson.” so phenomenal you didn’t of political power, but he “Pliny wrote that because really need to dress it up in does have great abs, which of the seismic activity under any way.” attract the attention of the The destruction of Pom- the sea, all the water was beautiful Cassia (Browning), drawn out of the harbor,” he peii was recorded by the daughter of Pompeii’s first said, “which is what hapcouple (Jared Harris, Carrie- Roman historian Pliny the pened in Indonesia and durAnn Moss), and a young lady Younger, who was on the whom Corvus would like for Bay of Naples when the blast ing the Thailand tsunami — it pulled the water away and his wife. The stage is set for occurred. (His uncle, Pliny then it came back as a tidal the Elder, probably died swords, sandals and soap. wave. There was also a wave of smoke inhalation while Just like, say, “Titanic,” trying to effect a rescue-by- of boiling, poisonous hot ash Emily Browning (left) and Kit Harington star in ‘Pompeii.” the Pompeii story can’t boat of friends in Pompeii.) coming down the mountain really have a surprise endBut what precedes the blast at 450 miles an hour, paring. On the other hand, it ticulate matter so thick you has always afforded filmhas an ending that’s pretty couldn’t see through. The makers a lot of space to fill. impressive. volcano was such a disaster “We decided we wanted “We thought we should the tsunami almost seems to do it our own way,” said be historically accurate sort of minor.” because history, in this case, Janet Scott Batchler, “so is fantastic,” said director Anderson, who grew up in the north of England, near Hadrian’s Wall, making the study of Roman culture a big part of his childhood. “The more I thought about
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