I show this movie to my Latin class right before winter break every year. It was filmed entirely on location and you can see lots of beautiful Roman attractions as Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck run around the city. It’s actually filmed in black and white because the director feared the city would outshine the actors if he filmed in color.

This just barely tips the scale into “Worth Consuming.” The effects are cool but it drags on at least half an hour too long. I always like Parker Posey, and Spacey is a pretty good Luthor, but Kate Bosworth fails to impress. And all of the actors seem too young, Kate and Brandon Routh especially.

I saw this as part of the Rhode Island Independent Film Festival, at an outdoor screening on an inflatable screen. The director was there and said this is probably his favorite film of all that he’s done. It was also really cool to watch a movie set and filmed in Providence while actually sitting outside in Providence. That doesn’t happen every day!

Bette Davis begged for her part in this movie and won it, despite the director believing it would ruin her career to play a slutty, manipulative woman. Instead, it set her up for much better unusual roles in movies like “All About Eve.” This is mainly worth seeing for the film trivia. The film transfer to DVD is awful, and the movie itself is dated, but still rather interesting. Don’t expect too much, just enjoy Bette Davis’s first brush with a dark and offbeat role.