Pompeii: The Last Day
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pompeii: The Last Day is a 2003 dramatized documentary that tells of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on 24 August 79 AD. This eruption covered the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in ash and pumice, killing all those trapped between the volcano and the sea. The documentary accurately portrayed the different phases of the eruption although the digitally created images of the city itself are not entirely accurate. It was directed by Peter Nicholson and written by Edward Canfor-Dumas. It was a BBC/TVE co-production.
Contents |
[edit] Production
The film was produced by the BBC in co-production with the TLC.
[edit] Plot
The documentary tells the story of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius from the point of view of assorted inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum whose names and occupations are known, including a local politician and his family, a fuller, his wife, and two gladiators. Historical characters included Pliny the Elder and his nephew Pliny the Younger.
It draws heavily on the eyewitness account of Pliny the Younger as well as historical research and recent discoveries in volcanology. Extensive CGI was used to recreate the effects of the eruption.
[edit] Death throes
Most of the people who were in Pompeii when the fourth pyroclastic surge hit died instantly or slowly suffocated to death.
- The death throes of those in the family of Julius Polybius are based upon the 1975 discovery of the skeleton of a heavily pregnant girl (Julia) surrounded by her family, in the actual House of Julius Polybius. Julia's husband, Sabinus is shown to have most likely poisoned himself, and presumably was the skeleton lying near the foot of the bed that Julia's body was found on, with the bones of her fetus found as well.
- The death of Stephanus the Fuller is based upon a cast found of a man sucking his thumb (locked up in an on-site warehouse for safekeeping).
- The death of Stephanus's wife, Fortunata, is based upon the discovery of the body of a rich bejeweled lady in the gladiator barracks, alongside those of gladiators.
- In Herculaneum, the death throes are much simpler, as most people were found during excavations either on the beach or inside the boat houses. Additionally, unlike Pompeii, when the pyroclastic surges hit Herculaneum, people there were instantly killed whereas most Pompeians slowly suffocated, although some died instantly.
[edit] Cast
- Rachel Atkins - Plinia
- Omar Berdouni - Callistus
- Emily Canfor-Dumas - Slave girl
- Jim Carter - Polybius
- Rebecca Clarke - Fortunata
- Chrissie Cotterill - Epidia
- Jonathan Firth - Stephanus
- Martin Hodgson - Gaius - Pliny the Younger
- Leigh Jones - Sabinus
- Neji Nejah - Restitutus
- Tim Pigott-Smith - Pliny the Elder
- Chad Shepherd - Africanus
- Katherine Whitburn - Julia
- Robert Whitelock - Celadus
- Inika Leigh Wright - Hedone
- George Yiasoumi - Feltwix
[edit] Depiction
A computer-generated depiction of the eruption is inaccurate. The depiction of the Temple of Jupiter, facing the forum, and the Temple of Apollo, across the portico to the left, are inaccurate, and the shown state of the porticoes around the forum is also at least questionable, as they all appear intact during this recreation of the 79 eruption; it is widely known that at least the Temples of Jupiter and Apollo had been destroyed 17 years before, during the 62 earthquake, and that they had not been rebuilt by the time the city was finally destroyed in the 79 eruption.[citation needed]
[edit] Gallery
 Still from the film |
 Still from the film |
 Stephanus shortly before his death, sucking his thumb [1] |
 Plaster cast of a real victim in the same position that inspired the previous picture in the documentary |
 Remains of victims found in Herculaneum |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pompeii: The Last Day |
- Official Press Release at BBC Press Office
- Official Press Pack at BBC Press Office
- Pompeii: The Last Day at the Internet Movie Database
