Rent Sign of the Pagan (1954)
3.2 of 5 from 50 ratings
1h 18min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
A spectacular account of Attila the Hun's final attack on Christian Rome. Jack Palance is in full swagger as 'Scourge of God' Attila the Hun, who seeks to conquer the Roman Empire's 5th century power bases of Rome and Constantinople. Centurion Marcian (Jeff Chandler) is captured by Attila on his way to Constantinople to warn the Eastern Emperor Theodosius of an attack by the barbarian tribes. Attila, impressed by his enemy's wiliness, honesty and courage, is powerless to prevent his escape. The two men meet again at the court of Theodosius (George Dolenz), where they fall under the spell of the Emperor's scheming sister Pulcheria (Ludmilla Tcherina). At a feast for the barbarian kings, Theodosius and Attila strike a deal that Constantinople will not be sacked - so Attila turns his attentions to Rome. As Attila prepares his assault, he is wracked by foreboding as he recalls a childhood vision of his death beneath the shadow of a cross. When he learns of a betrayal by his daughter Kubra (Rita Gam), it seems his fate is sealed. Douglas Sirk's first foray in Cinemascope is both lavish and savvy, with Palance's Hun a fine balance of ferocity, vulnerability and doubt. - Actors:
- Jeff Chandler, Jack Palance, Ludmilla Tchérina, Rita Gam, Jeff Morrow, George Dolenz, Eduard Franz, Allison Hayes, Alexander Scourby, Howard Petrie, Michael Ansara, Leo Gordon, Moroni Olsen, Fred Nurney, Sara Shane, Pat Hogan, Robert Bice, Charles Horvath, Glenn Thompson, Chuck Roberson
- Directors:
- Douglas Sirk
- Producers:
- Albert J. Cohen
- Narrated By:
- Rex Reason
- Writers:
- Oscar Brodney, Barré Lyndon
- Studio:
- Simply Media
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama
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Reviews (1) of Sign of the Pagan
A Roman Sirkus - Sign of the Pagan review by CH
Another curiosity by Douglas Sirk - while waiting some while for the set of his Thirties films made in Germany. He turned his camera to many types of film, even a version of a Chekhov novel, and perhaps surprised himself with the great run of suburban dramas in the Fifties. Here, with Sign of the Pagan, things erupts many centuries earlier as Attila the Hun takes on the Roman Empire in Constantinople and Italy. Many are the scenes in which horses cross the landscape and carry on as their riders fall to the ground. It is difficult to become involved in all this, for - apart from Attila - the characters lack individual spirit. Curiously, the scriptwriter was Barre Lyndon - a name which is close to Thackeray's character filmed by Kubrick.
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