'Prince of Foxes' Opens Villa

"Prince of Foxes," opening at Villa theater, 3000 Highland dr., Friday evening, proved a kingly movie for the premiere of Salt Lake's new plush movie house.

The kaleidoscopic imprint of five hundred years has been artfully erased over the Italian countryside in the filming of the Samuel Shellabarger best-seller, a historical drama based on an episode in the life of the Renaissance despot, Ceaare Borgia.

Fifteenth century Italy, when the unscrupulous Borgia aspired to the dictatorship of an entire nation, is the setting for the lofty intrigues, with directory Henry King photographing the story in entirety on the actual locales which the action originally unfolded.

More than a year in preliminary preparation was spent on "Prince of Foxes," with the actual shooting period extending over 12 months. It's King's conviction that in spite of the vast panorama photographically covered in the motion picture, Italy is so rich in such material that the country is still unexploited scenically and artistically.

The picture stars Tyrone Power, Orson Welles and Wanda Hendrix in one episode in the life of the notorious 15th century adventurer.

Borgia, portrayed in "Prince of Foxes" by Orsen Welles, administered slow doses of white powder called, at that time, canterella, which produced death throes which have enabled contemporary scientists to determine that the fatal potion was arsenic.