Tom Hiddleston Reveals True Story of Pompeii’s Destruction in Documentary
Actor Tom Hiddleston, a Cambridge classics graduate, hosts a National Geographic documentary on the destruction of Pompeii in AD79, using interactive techniques and reconstructions to show that the eruption took a full day, not an instant.
Tom Hiddleston, known for roles in films like Kong: Skull Island and the Avengers series, holds a double first in classics from Cambridge, and he puts it to use in a new National Geographic documentary Pompeii: Out of Time (Disney+, from Thursday). In the film, he slips into the role of an undergraduate detective, translating Latin headstones and interviewing experts.
Hiddleston employs interactive methods, such as freezing the frame and using L-shaped finger gestures to rewind to earlier moments, explaining that Pompeii’s destruction was not instantaneous — the eruption of Vesuvius lasted a full day, giving inhabitants time to make choices. He even sets a countdown on his smartwatch, warning that there’s only an hour until Vesuvius erupts.
The documentary heavily features reconstructions based on evidence, telling the plausible stories of three Romans on that day. The reconstructions, written by Jessica Ruston and playwright Mark Ravenhill, turn the documentary into a disaster film that is both shocking and moving. The reviewer notes that the film evokes empathy for the hopeless heroism of ordinary people — it’s a low-key tearjerker. While the scripted banter with academics can sometimes feel awkward, overall it is successful and gripping.
