Androcles and the Lion

A genial, talky stage-to-screen fable that ambles along with gentle wit, broad performances and a soft-hearted beast at its centre.

Directed by

Chester Erskine

Genres

Comedy

Starring

Victor Mature, Jean Simmons, Alan Young

Tagline

SPECTACLE, ROMANCE, COMEDY!...as only Shaw could write it and the screen show it!

Overview

George Bernard Shaw’s breezy, delightful dramatization of this classic fable—about a Christian slave who pulls a thorn from a lion’s paw and is spared from death in the Colosseum as a result of his kind act—was written as a meditation on modern Christian values. Pascal’s final Shaw production is played broadly, with comic character actor Alan Young as the titular naïf. He’s ably supported by Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Robert Newton, and Elsa Lanchester.

How it feels

Whimsical, satirical, warm and earnest. Measured and easy to follow.

About

Faith, morality, friendship, power

Content

Mild violence. No gore, sexual content or swearing.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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