Hollywood's most cursed masterpiece: a Roman epic destroyed by a car crash and divine intervention.
An unfinished 1937 film adaptation of life and times of the Roman Emperor, Claudius. The production was dogged by adverse circumstances, culminating in a car accident involving co-star Merle Oberon that caused filming to cease before completion.
Acting
Laughton's grotesque, vulnerable Claudius—possibly his greatest unfinished performance.
Direction
Von Sternberg's obsessive visual control, pushing Expressionism into ancient Rome.
Costume
Oberon's gold-flecked skin, designed to literally glow on monochrome film.
Director
Josef von Sternberg
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Von Sternberg privately called it his most personal film—about a brilliant, underestimated man surrounded by monsters.
The 31 surviving minutes influenced every decadent Roman epic after, from 'Caligula' to 'Gladiator II'. Oberon's glowing skin technique was lost for decades.
US
