Directed by Carmine Gallone and Amleto Palermi, this extremely rare 35mm print has not been screened in the U.S. in decades, prior to its September unveiling at the Harvard Film Archive.
Based on Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s incredibly popular 19th-century historical novel of the same title, The Last Days of Pompeii centers on the adventures of Glaucus, a young dandy, the blind flower-girl Nydia, and sinister Egyptian priest, Arbaces, in the days leading up to devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Italy’s most expensive production up to that point, the film features extravagant sets and photography re-envisioning a standing Pompeii. The volcano’s annihilative mayhem is one of the grandest examples of cinema’s fascination with the legendary natural disaster.
This film event complements the exhibition The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection currently on view at the Getty Villa through January 7, 2013. Getty Villa curator Kenneth Lapatin will present a brief, illustrated introduction to the screening.
The Last Days Of Pompeii (Gli Ultimi Giorni Di Pompei) (1926) with Live Musical Accompaniment
Presented by the Getty and the American Cinematheque
Sunday, December 9, 2012, 5pm
Egyptian Theatre
6712 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tickets are $11 general admission, $9 student/senior (box office only), and $7 American Cinematheque member.
Advance tickets can be purchased at the Egyptian Theatre box office during operating hours, or on Fandango.