Androcles and the Lion

Androcles and the Lion

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

NR 1952 · 98 min · ★ 5.9 · Comedy

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.

Directed by Chester Erskine

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Criterion Channel

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 10m together

Androcles and the Lion

The Sailor Takes a Wife

Both from Chester Erskine.

More from Chester ErskineSee all →

Master of MenMaster of Men · 1933
Master of Men
★ 9.01933
MovieDrama
One of ten films that Fay Wray made in 1993 (including King Kong), Master of Men casts her as Kay Walling, a woman who is being ignored by her husband, Buck (played by Jack Holt). Buck owns a prosperous steel mill and they make a very good living, but he is ambitious and wants more. To this end, he is devoting considerable amounts of time to expanding his finances -- and doing quite well. Not satisfied with his success, he journeys to New York, where his wrangling further increases his bank account. Unfortunately, his stock with his wife is dropping steadily. Jealous and unhappy, she fights back by giving one of Buck's business rivals details about what he is up to.
The Sailor Takes a WifeThe Sailor Takes a Wife · 1945
The Sailor Takes a Wife
★ 8.01945
MovieComedyRomance
While waiting in New York City to ship out to Europe, a sailor stops by a serviceman's canteen and meets a USO hostess. They immediately fall for each other and get married that night. However, when the sailor is notified that he has been reclassified as 4-F (unfit for service) by the Navy and then discharged, he and his new wife realize that, having to set up house before they expected to, they actually know very little about each other. Complications ensue.
Angel FaceAngel Face · 1953
Angel Face
★ 7.11953
MovieDramaCrime
Ambulance driver Frank Jessup is ensnared in the schemes of the sensuous but dangerous Diane Tremayne.
The Egg and IThe Egg and I · 1947
The Egg and I
★ 7.01947
MovieComedyRomance
World War II veteran Bob MacDonald surprises his new wife, Betty, by quitting his city job and moving them to a dilapidated farm in the country. While Betty gamely struggles with managing the crumbling house and holding off nosy neighbors and a recalcitrant pig, Bob makes plans for crops and livestock. The couple's bliss is shaken by a visit from a beautiful farm owner, who seems to want more from Bob than just managing her property.
All My SonsAll My Sons · 1948
All My Sons
★ 6.51948
MovieDrama
During WWII, industrialist Joe Keller commits a crime and frames his business partner Herbert Deever. Years later, his sin comes back to haunt him when his son plans to marry Deever's daughter.
Frankie and JohnnieFrankie and Johnnie · 1936
Frankie and Johnnie
★ 6.51936
MovieDrama
The story of a woman, Frankie, and the man who has done her wrong, Johnnie.
Split SecondSplit Second · 1953
Split Second
★ 6.41953
MovieThrillerCrime
Escaped convicts hold hostages in a ghost town targeted for a nuclear bomb test.
Witness to MurderWitness to Murder · 1954
Witness to Murder
★ 6.31954
MovieCrimeDrama
A woman fights to convince the police that she witnessed a murder while looking out her bedroom window.
The Wonderful CountryThe Wonderful Country · 1959
The Wonderful Country
★ 6.11959
MovieWestern
Having fled to Mexico from the U.S. many years ago for killing his father's murderer, Martin Brady travels to Texas to broker an arms deal for his Mexican boss, strongman Governor Cipriano Castro. Brady breaks a leg and while recuperating in Texas the gun shipment is stolen. Complicating matters further the wife of local army major Colton has designs on him, and the local Texas Ranger captain makes him a generous offer to come back to the states and join his outfit. After killing a man in self-defense, Brady slips back over the border and confronts Castro who is not only unhappy that Brady has lost his gun shipment but is about to join forces with Colton to battle the local raiding Apache Indians.
The Belle of New YorkThe Belle of New York · 1952
The Belle of New York
★ 5.71952
MovieMusicRomance
In squeaky-clean New York at the turn of the century, playboy Charlie Hill falls so much in love that he can walk on air. The object of his affections is beautiful Angela Bonfils, a mission house worker in the Bowery. He promises to reform his dissolute life, even trying to do an honest day's work.
The Irish Whiskey RebellionThe Irish Whiskey Rebellion · 1972
The Irish Whiskey Rebellion
★ 5.51972
MovieActionAdventure
An Irish radical turns East Coast bootlegger during Prohibition.
Take One False StepTake One False Step · 1949
Take One False Step
★ 5.41949
MovieCrimeDrama
Catherine Sykes disappears after a midnight drive with Professor Andrew Gentling . When she's presumed murdered, his friend Martha convinces him that he's a prime suspect and should investigate before he's arrested.
MidnightMidnight · 1934
Midnight
★ 4.91934
MovieDramaCrime
Jury foreman Edward Weldon's questioning leads to the death sentence for Ethel Saxon. His daughter Stella claims to have killed her lover, the gangster Garboni, just as Saxon was to sit in the electric chair.
A Girl in Every PortA Girl in Every Port · 1952
A Girl in Every Port
★ 4.81952
MovieComedy
After two sailors are conned into buying a lame race-horse, they go ashore to sort out the problem, but when they realize that the horse is one of a pair of identical twins, their plan for revenge becomes more complicated.
The Invincible SixThe Invincible Six · 1970
The Invincible Six
★ 3.21970
MovieActionAdventure
Based on the story "The Heroes of Yucca," The Invincible Six features a ragtag group of jewel thieves who become the unofficial guardians of a small Iranian village. When bandits attack the village, looking for the body of their former leader and his treasure map, the Invincible Six are there to save the day, wooing the local females and frustrating the new leader of the bandits.

More Like This

Mambo ItalianoMambo Italiano · 2003
Mambo Italiano
★ 6.02003
MovieComedyRomance
When an Italian man comes out of the closet, it affects both his life and his crazy family.
Trouble in ParadiseTrouble in Paradise · 1932
Trouble in Paradise
★ 7.41932
MovieComedyCrime
Thief Gaston Monescu and pickpocket Lily are partners in crime and love. Working for perfume company executive Mariette Colet, the two crooks decide to combine their criminal talents to rob their employer. Under the alias of Monsieur Laval, Gaston uses his position as Mariette's personal secretary to become closer to her. However, he takes things too far when he actually falls in love with Mariette, and has to choose between her and Lily.
GreaseGrease · 1978
Grease
★ 7.41978
MovieRomanceComedy
Australian good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance despite their eccentric friends?
ChicagoChicago · 2002
Chicago
★ 7.12002
MovieComedyCrime
Murderesses Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago.
MadagascarMadagascar · 2005
Madagascar
★ 6.92005
MovieAdventureAnimation
Four animal friends get a taste of the wild life when they break out of captivity at the Central Park Zoo and wash ashore on the island of Madagascar.
We're No AngelsWe're No Angels · 1989
We're No Angels
★ 6.21989
MovieComedyCrime
Two escaped cons' only prayer to escape is to pass themselves off as priests and pass by the police blockade at the border into the safety of Canada.
Stalag 17Stalag 17 · 1953
Stalag 17
★ 7.71953
MovieComedyDrama
After two American prisoners are killed by guards in the act of escaping from a German POW camp in World War II, barracks black marketeer J.J. Sefton is suspected of being an informer.
Asterix at the Olympic GamesAsterix at the Olympic Games · 2008
Asterix at the Olympic Games
★ 5.22008
MovieFantasyAdventure
Astérix and Obélix have to win the Olympic Games in order to help their friend Alafolix marry Princess Irina. Brutus uses every trick in the book to have his own team win the game, and get rid of his father Julius Caesar in the process.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter