Both films depict the corrupt emperor Nero's relationship with his mistress Poppaea. DeMille's "The Sign of the Cross", which is a vastly better movie than this one is. This film's story features most of the same elements found in Cecil B. The crowd scenes feature an impressive number of participants, but none of the extras have received any direction: they rush about blindly, glancing towards the camera for guidance. Many scenes in this movie which could have been very impressive - the burning of Rome, the chariot races, the slaughter of the Christian martyrs in the Colosseum - are staged on sets which are cheaply built and blatantly phony, in some cases featuring off-register matte shots. "Nero" was filmed in Italy, in locations near Rome, but this provides absolutely no authenticity. Unfortunately, "Nero" is one of his more laughable efforts. The elder Edwards deserves to be remembered in his own right, for an impressive body of work. Gordon Edwards is now remembered (if at all) only for being Blake Edwards's grandfather, which is unfair.
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