Though Fall of the Roman Empire is now infamous as the epic which destroyed the cinematic empire of producer Samuel Bronston, the film is actually an above-average historical drama, attempting to make sense of the political intrigues which resulted in the dissolution of the Glory That Was Rome. The film begins with wise, .. Read more
| Starring | Alec Guinness, James Mason, Stephen Boyd, Sophia Loren |
|---|---|
| Director | Anthony Mann |
| Genres | Action/Adventure |
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Though Fall of the Roman Empire is now infamous as the epic which destroyed the cinematic empire of producer Samuel Bronston, the film is actually an above-average historical drama, attempting to make sense of the political intrigues which resulted in the dissolution of the Glory That Was Rome. The film begins with wise, diplomatic emperor Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness) calling together the various representatives of the many nations within the Empire as a means of securing peace and prosperity for all involved. When Marcus intimates that he intends to turn over his crown to adopted son Livius (Stephen Boyd) rather than the logical successor Commodus (Christopher Plummer), he is poisoned by one of Commodus' cronies. Marcus' daughter Lucilla (Sophia Loren) tries to get Livius to claim the throne, but he wants no part of it; thus, the fate of the empire is in the incompetent hands of the preening Commodus. Despite efforts by cooler heads to save Rome from ruin, Commodus vainly declares himself a god and kills anyone who poses a threat to him. When he learns that Lucilla actually has a stronger claim to the throne than he does, Commodus condemns her to be burned at the stake. Only then does Livius intervene, slaying Commodus and promising to try to pick up the pieces of the disintegrating empire. Attempting to find a common ground between history buffs and action fans, Fall of the Roman Empire has come to be regarded as a classic. Alas, audiences in 1964 had grown weary of epics (especially after the highly touted but disappointing Cleopatra), and failed to turn out in sufficient enough numbers to justify Fall's exorbitant cost. Virtually wiped out, Samuel Bronston would not be able to return to filmmaking until 1971, and then only on a much smaller and more pinchpenny scale.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
| Starring | Alec Guinness, James Mason, Stephen Boyd, Sophia Loren, Christopher Plummer, Omar Sharif, John Ireland, Anthony Quayle, Mel Ferrer |
|---|---|
| Director | Anthony Mann |
| Studio | ANCHOR BAY HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 52 mins Blu-ray: 2 hrs 52 mins |
| Certificate |  |
| Collections | 100 Swords and Sandals Films |
| Genres | Action/Adventure |
| Language | DVD: English Blu-ray: English |
| Released | Production year: 1964 To Rent: DVD: not available Blu-ray: 16 May 2011 |
Or you can rent each disc individually:
The Fall Of The Roman Empire - Blu-ray - Feature
The success of Mann's widescreen epic El Cid (1961) led to this even grander undertaking, one of Hollywood's p...
The Fall Of The Roman Empire - Blu-ray - Bonus Features
Bonus Features Include
The Rise and Fall of an Epic Production: The Making of the Film
The Rise and ...
Would-be distinguished epic with an intellectual first hour; unfortunately the hero is a priggish bore, the villain a crashing bore, the heroine a saintly bore, and the only interesting character is killed off early. A chariot race, a javelin duel, some m
- 7
- 0
Great Movie !!!
Though Fall of the Roman Empire is now infamous as the epic which destroyed the cinematic 'empire' of producer Samuel Bronston, the film is actually an ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
- 1
- 1
Spectacularly boring
We usually enjoy long historical epics made in the 1960s but this one really is excrutiatingly dull. There's just no spark to it at all and the acting is ... read more »
- 1
- 2
FALL OF THE HOLLYWOOD ROMAN EPIC
A handsome mess of a film that aims high but simply overreaches. Its relevance to the flawed thinking underlying modern-day UK and US imperialism is remarkably ... read more »
- 0
- 0
A Tad Too Long
A good film to watch after a good Sunday Roast laying on the sofa falling asleep to this long but good epic about the Fall of The Roman Empire.
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