Sign of the Cross

I really enjoyed Sign of the Cross, it may have been on my favorite movies so far. It didn't contain big battle scenes, like armies, and it wasn't really centered around that violence either. What really got me  hooked was the relationship between Marcus and Merica. It wasn't your typical love relationship, because it wasn't based off of equal love. Yes they did find each other attractive, even though Marcus was the main pursuer, but it was more based off of Mercias faith. She was devoted to following Jesus, and she wouldn't let that go no matter how hard Marcus tried to convince her. The end scene was by far the best part of the movie for me, because it shows how faith can influence people. Not only faith, but love too. Marcus loved Mercia, and Mercia loved Jesus. Her faith and love for Him crept into Marcus's heart and mind and he was able to see what she saw. When he said "There is even a place for guys like me in Heaven?" showed that he had accepted that faith. That last scene ties up the whole movie in a sense because Marcus was the right hand man to the cruel Nero, and he was focused on eliminating Christians. Yet as the movie progressed, he slowly became enveloped in what the faith meant. He didn't want to fight anymore, he just wanted to be loved. He found that love, in Mercia, but more importantly he found that love inside Jesus when he took Mercias hand and walked with her into the lion den.

Review of Sign of the Cross

I thought that Sign of the Cross was a good movie because the characters did not follow the typical themes of the other movies. Although there were no huge chariot race or huge war scene there was action and emotion throughout this movie. In this movie Mercia was portrayed as the stronger and more heroin like character compared to Marcus because his character would do anything to be with Mercia, even feed himself to the lions. All of his actions and decisions evolve around his love for Mercia. Mercia is much more complex in the way she refuses safety and love to die with her fellow Christians. She is selfless and faithful to her faith and not even Marcus and his ornate lifestyle can change her mind. The Sign of the Cross did have similar themes to other movies but to me this movie was very unique in comparison which is why I enjoyed it. The story line was interesting because I was not expecting Marcus to feed himself to the lions with Mercia purely out of love. It was a tad unrealistic but it showed the powerful faith of religion and love. Overall I enjoyed this movie and its different story line and characters.

Review: Sign of the Cross

While The Sign of the Cross was definitely good, it didn't stand out like other movies we have seen so far. Marcus Superbus was admittedly one of the flattest characters I have seen so far in class in terms of development; what solely defines him is his love for Mercia and his willingness to do anything in order to have her. Mercia, on the other hand, is defined not only by her feelings for Marcus but also by her devotion to her faith and compassion for others. Granted, those are the only traits we see, but it makes for an interesting subversion of the undeveloped female character, as Mercia is better-rounded than Marcus, which is best illustrated when she confronts him in his house during the feast. One part I think the movie did really well was the emotional aspect. By focusing on Stephan and the little girl, the Christians’ struggle is made more poignant and heart wrenching because you know they're not going to survive. Little touches like the old man covering the girl's face with his cloak made it worse. I also enjoyed the scenes with Poppaea and Nero, their grandiose manner exemplified the excess indulgence of Rome.

Review of "The Sign of the Cross"

 I enjoyed The Sign of the Cross, though not as much as some of the other films we have watched in class. Though I know she was supposed to be representative of the purity of the Christian faith, Mercia seemed a bit too perfect for my tastes. Nevertheless, I liked her romance with Marcus Superbus and thought that this was very sweetly portrayed in the beginning. I really would have liked to see more of Nero’s character as he is so famous in Ancient Roman history. It surprised me that what little we did see did not seem to quite add up with what history tells us of him. It would have been interesting to see how a more realistic Nero would have affected the storyline. Poppaea’s role, however, was very well portrayed and scripted. She perfectly symbolized some of the worst aspects of Rome with a distinct style that was intriguing to watch. I liked the story and plotline, but feel that Marcus’ conversion happened a bit too swiftly at the end. It would have made more sense to me to see more of a gradual progression leading up to this, even if only earlier on in their last conversation.

Sign of the Cross Review

Overall, "The Sign of the Cross" was a pretty powerful movie.  I also believe that being able to see the final scene in which Marcus Superbus and Mercia ascend the steps to their death would have made for a more impactful effect on us.  There are definitely parts that could have been done better though.  For instance, the character Stephan was weak and whiny.  It seems as though he would be stronger because he is always around Mercia who is always so unshakeable in her views on religion.  The scene in which all of the Christians are massacred in the arena is disturbing, but does it's job to illustrate the cruelty of the Romans.  Parts of it seemed excessive, such as the woman fighting the midgets.  It did, however, all work to show the brutal deaths that Christians endured and the inhumanness of the Romans who simply laughed at their pain.  This is not to take anything away from the scenes that were done spectacularly.  The movie did a good job at showing how Nero was conflicted between doing the right thing and doing what the influential people around him wanted him to do.  When Marcus asks for Mercia to be spared, Nero provides a compromise so that Marcus and Poppaea could both have what they desired.

Sign of the Cross Review

I thought the movie was good, though not fantastic or anything. I personally found the character of Marcus Superbus stale.  He would act very one-dimensional, always focused on love or duty.  I did enjoy the characters or Nero and Poppaea.  I would have liked to see more of them, and more of the conflict between Poppaea and Tigellinus.  Nero only spoke in three or four scenes, and his character, with his revelry and other people influencing him back and forth, usually brought out the best parts of the movie.  I grant that there were no extremely apparent plot holes in the movie.  The first half of the movie, with its Christians going back and forth about their dogma, is rather slow.  The final part, at the coliseum, is quite a spectacle.  With midget fights and all kinds of cool animals and nudity the movie pulls you into to a lot of fun.  My biggest complaint with the movie is that it stokes the Christian persecution complex, but I suppose that’s more a product of its time and creators.  The movie was not explicitly preachy, I suppose.  Overall, the movie tells an exquisite story of the choice between love and faith (to a god or an emperor) and resisting temptations.  7/10

Emperor Nero

When I think of Nero, I often find myself thinking of Macbeth, someone who did not necessarily want power but did indeed have ambition, and once in power, became paranoid and insecure that he would lose it. This is most evident in the poisoning of Britannicus, Claudius's natural son and the heir to the title before Nero was adopted, and his mother Agrippina, who had extreme influence over him but encroached on his authority. While he was a cruel person, his tenure as emperor started out well because of moderation and good advisers. Once Burrus died and Seneca faded "into the background" (likely out of concern for his life), Tigellinus's actions of Nero's behalf hurt his reputation, with the deciding blow being the Great Fire, which spelled the death knell for his relationship with the Senate. And while he was a patron of the arts, the "imperial reputation" didn't improve, since the Romans liked an emperor who was a conscientious leader both in battle and in Rome, and only reinforced his "playboy image". Thus, a combination of attributes he was born with and the power he came into contributed to his nature. If he had become an artist instead of the emperor I think his life would've turned out much better.