The Fall Of The Roman Empire

Rod (of the Bloody Pit of Rod) informed me that Anthony Mann made another Hollywood spectacle after 'El Cid'. In 1964 he came out with 'The Fall of the Roman Empire' which also starred Sophia Loren. Of course I had to seek that film out.


What we have here is a Roman Empire epic where 'El Cid' was a huge story from medieval times. The cast of thousands returns only this time in the garb of Roman Legionnaires.

The love story is set among the spectacle that was Rome at the beginning of it's decline. It's a big movie with big ideas combined with fantastic set pieces - the likes of which will never be seen in this form (unaided by computer images) again.


The year is 180 AD and Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness) is leading his tribes against Germanic invaders. His head Centurion is Livius (Stephen Boyd) and Sophia Loren is Lucila, the daughter of the Emperor.

Christopher Plummer plays Commodus, the son of Aurelius. You remember these names from the Russel Crowe movie, 'Gladiator'. Commodus was the Emperor who tormented Crowe in that film. Many things about this film reminded me of 'Gladiator' or vice-versa as the case may be.


It's weird to see Alex Guinness in robes and not think of him as Obi Wan Kenobi. His voice is so distinctive and iconic.


Once again Anthony Mann spares no expense in costumes, pageantry, sets and extras. The scenes of the Legionnaires just in formation are spectacular enough. The huge battle scenes, especially a forest battle between Romans and barbarians are also complex and terrific.

Its rare to see battle scenes involving thousands of extras that do not look computer generated. They must have been a nightmare to co-ordinate and film. You really see where all the money was spent for this film because it's all up there on the screen. The remaking of Rome by set designers - including the temple of Jupiter - are awe inspiring.


Music fills most of the film but at times the music seems mis-matched to the scenes they accompany. It can take you out of the film for a moment but that is a minor quibble.

The romantic scenes are also full of long glances and pronouncement of how duty is more important than love. They can also have the effect of dragging the picture down. Luckily they are few and far between in this nearly 3 hour movie. Audiences sure liked their intermissions back then.


The story is a good one about a power struggle that promised to bring down the Roman Empire from within instead of because of all the enemies Rome had outside of it's borders. Commodus was not the unifier that his father, Marcus Aurelius was. Rome was too great a prize not to be fought for.


The movie was a box office flop at the time and bankrupted producer Samuel Bronson. The film was made for over 18,000,000 dollars, an unheard of sum at the time.


I had heard many things about this film from it long running time to the campiness of many of the performances. Removed from another time it has turned from a joke into a great example of Hollywood historical epics at their best. I really enjoyed getting into this one.

7/10