Musings!

Christine Kaufmann and Fausto Tozzi, as Hadrian, in CONSTANTINE AND THE CROSS (1961)

Christine Kaufmann was 16 years old when the film was released. She was most likely 15 years old when the movie was made. When she starred in TARAS BULBA (1962) with Tony Curtis, she was 16 during filming and 17 when the film was released. Tony Curtis would marry Christine when she turned 18. She was 14 when she starred in THE LAST DAYS IF POMPEII (1959) with Steve Reeves as her love interest. No one seemed to mind back then about the age difference. It doesn't mean anything happened between the actors but it seems odd that they hired such a young actress. Christine was good in all her roles so it wasn't just her young beauty. In the movie, the two characters are seen in a romantic way but we never seen them kiss, if I recall correctly. Fausto is excellent as Hadrian, a very complex character that's impossible to grasp in a single film.