The Fall of the Roman Empire (film)
The Fall of the Roman Empire is a
1964 film starring
Sophia Loren (
Lucilla),
Stephen Boyd (
Livius),
Alec Guinness (
Marcus Aurelius),
James Mason (Timonides),
Christopher Plummer (
Commodus),
Mel Ferrer (Cleander),
Omar Sharif (Armenia's King) and
Finlay Currie (Senator). It was directed by
Anthony Mann. The film was a financial failure at the box-office. However, it is considered unusually intelligent and thoughtful for a film of the contemporary
sword and sandal genre.
The film loosely portrays historic events of the
Roman Empire in the late
2nd century, particularly the career of
Roman Emperor Commodus, his succession to his father Marcus Aurelius, and his clash with childhood friend Livius. Following historical records, Commodus is at first depicted as a promising young emperor but soon descends into instability and corruption. The film culminates in a symbolic battle of good versus evil. It also depicts the debate the Romans were confronted with concerning the
Barbarians, whether to fight and maintain cultural superiority but possibly lose everything, or give in to their demands in the face of overwhelming numbers, but still maintain independence.
It was one of the
superproductions of
Samuel Bronston in Spain, with some shoots in the
Guadarrama sierra, northern
Madrid.Its reconstruction of the
Roman Forum (1312 by 754 feet) holds the record for the largest outdoor film set.
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Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score (nominated & won)
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Academy Award for
Best Music, Score - Substantially Original (nominated)Alec Guinness did play Marcus Aurelius.Sophia Loren was the highest paid cast member.
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List of Roman Emperors*the
Five Good Emperors, of which Marcus Aurelius was the last
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Decline of the Roman Empire*
IMDb: The Fall of the Roman Empire
