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The Fall of the Roman Empire (film)
Encyclopedia
The Fall of the Roman Empire is a 1964 English-language epic film
produced by Samuel Bronston Productions and the Rank Organisation
, and released by Paramount Pictures
. It was directed by Anthony Mann
and produced by Samuel Bronston
with Jaime Prades and Michal Waszynski
as associate producers. The screenplay was by Ben Barzman
, Basilio Franchina and Philip Yordan
. It was photographed in 70mm
Ultra Panavision
by Robert Krasker
, with an original music score by Dimitri Tiomkin
. The historian Will Durant
was engaged to advise on period detail and plot. The 2000 film Gladiator
was not a formal 'remake
' but has many points of contact with this movie.
The film starred Sophia Loren
(Lucilla
), Stephen Boyd
(Livius
), Alec Guinness
(Marcus Aurelius), James Mason
(Timonides), Christopher Plummer
(Commodus
), Mel Ferrer
(Cleander
) and Omar Sharif
(Sohaemus, King of Armenia
) with Finlay Currie
(Caecina
), Anthony Quayle
(Verulus), John Ireland
(Ballomar), Eric Porter
(Julianus), Andrew Keir
(Polybius
), Douglas Wilmer
(Niger
) and George Murcell
(Victorinus
).
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 and also enjoys a 100% "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes
.
Marcus Aurelius to the death of his son and successor Commodus
. The film opens with Marcus Aurelius conducting his war to pacify the Germanic
tribes along the Danube
frontier. He has just summoned the governors of all the Roman provinces to his camp in order to present to them Gaius Metellus Livius (a fictional character) as his heir and successor. This is conceivable because Livius indicates that he had been brought into the imperial family by the emperor, presumably by adoption, and the four previous emperors (Nerva
, Trajan
, Hadrian
and Antoninus Pius
) had made their adopted sons their heirs.
What is foremost in Livius' mind is to marry his beloved Lucilla, the emperor's daughter, but Marcus Aurelius feels he must marry her to King Sohaemus of Armenia to cement a peace treaty between him and Rome as a buffer on Rome's eastern border to the hostile Persians (Parthia
ns). Livius appeals to her to go away with him, but her duty overrules her heart.
Commodus is devastated when he learns of his father's intention to make Livius his successor. This makes Commodus reckless and hostile toward Livius, who had once been a close friend. Later Commodus would explain that this was his way of letting the gods decide who would be successor. Conspirators, acting independently of Commodus, poison Marcus Aurelius, leaving Livius with only one choice: to proclaim Commodus as "undoubted Caesar." Commodus gratefully makes Livius commander of all Roman armies and his second-in-command.
Commodus begins his reign by opposing Marcus Aurelius' policy of peace and freedom, which he characterizes as weakness, and demanding more taxes and tribute from the eastern provinces of Syria
and Egypt
, driving them to rebellion. Meanwhile Livius pacifies the northern frontier by following Marcus Aurelius' policy of making "human frontiers" for the Roman Empire. He and Timonides, a Greek
Christian freedman and friend of Marcus Aurelius, return to Rome along with the conquered German leaders (Ballomar, et al.) with the proposal to Romanize and settle them on abandoned farm land. This proposal is accepted by the Roman Senate
, but it sets Livius at odds with Commodus, who all but banishes him to continued duty on the northern frontier. When Commodus is faced with the defection of the eastern provinces and Armenia, he has no one but Livius to turn to. Livius proves to be successful against the eastern rebellion, but he declines following Commodus' demand for brutal retribution. Livius answers Commodus with the demand for either a new Rome or a new Caesar.
Commodus reacts by bribing the senators, plebians, and the army to side with him against Livius. Commodus's success is apparent when the traditional head for the colossal statue of Jupiter
in the Capitoline temple is replaced with a likeness of the head of Commodus, and in the senate it is proposed to change Rome's name to "the city of Commodus" and the empire's name to "the empire of Commodus." Livius is arrested and is set to be executed with Lucilla, who had tried to assassinate her brother. Commodus returns Livius' favor to him in proclaiming him undoubted Caesar by challenging him to a gladiatorial combat with the imperial throne as the prize. Livius prevails by killing Commodus and rescuing Lucilla from the flames of execution. Victorinus, who had been bribed by Commodus to deliver Livius's army to him, proclaims Livius Caesar, but Livius declines with the warning that if he were Caesar he would crucify them all (Victorinus, Julianus, Niger, et al.). The film culminates in an auction for the imperial throne. The narrator sums it up: "This was the beginning of the fall of the Roman Empire. A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within." This actually occurred in the accession of Didius Julianus
.
(AD 96–98).
Following a plausible interpretation of the historical records, Commodus is depicted as over-compensating for emotional vulnerability and soon descending into instability and corruption. The irony is in Commodus's directive that the empire should "forget the weakness of my father" with its implication that he would be a strong leader: it is Commodus' army of gladiators that proves to be cowards on the field with the German barbarians and Commodus' harsh policy toward the eastern provinces that had the tendency of weakening the empire by the threatened loss of the east. His father's true ideological heir, Livius, conquers both the Germans and Parthians as well as Commodus himself. In the film Livius is given the epithets "Germanicus" and "Parthius" and is invited to be emperor after the death of Commodus.
The death of Marcus Aurelius is portrayed as the result of a conspiracy to poison him, which was rumoured at the time. Commodus's liking for gladiators and for fighting as a gladiator himself is historically accurate: it led to rumours that he was actually the bastard son of a gladiator who had been the lover of Marcus Aurelius's wife Faustina. In the film, Commodus's gladiatorial trainer and comrade, Verulus (Anthony Quayle), is his real father. This impresses upon Commodus that he is a bastard who never should have been emperor. In a fit of madness he commits patricide
.
Commodus' sister Lucilla's opposition to his rule is also historical: she was executed for attempting to assassinate him. Her political marriage to the King of Armenia and the survival of her brother are not historically accurate.
The "Battle of the Four Armies" of loyalist and renegade Roman legions against Armenians and Persians is not a historical event. The Sassanid Persian empire
did not exist at this time (they are standing in for the historical Parthians
).
Toward the end of the film Julianus and other senators are shown attempting to bribe the military into making one of them emperor while Commodus and Livius are fighting below them. This makes use of the historical events three months after Commodus's death (he actually died by poisoning and/or strangulation) when Didius Julianus
bribed the Praetorian Guard
to proclaim him Emperor, outbidding his rival Claudius Pompeianus
– a character not shown in the film, though it was he, not a King of Armenia, who actually married Lucilla.
A number of the film's minor characters approximate historical personages: Commodus's corrupt chamberlain Cleander
(represented in the film as a blind man), his courtier Niger (who may be identified with Pescennius Niger
a rival claimant with Didius Julianus to the imperial throne), and Livius's comrade Victorinus (probably based on the general of the period named Aufidius Victorinus). Other characters of similar political and social standing appear to be completely fictitious.
It is believed that though the film was highly spectacular and considered intelligently scripted, its failure was partly attributable to what was considered the wooden performance of Stephen Boyd
as the loyal general Livius (a fictitious character). In contrast, the performance of Christopher Plummer
as the unstable Commodus was considered highly charismatic. As a fledgling motion picture performer—The Fall of the Roman Empire was only his third appearance on film—he began to emerge as a major Hollywood star.
The part of Marcus Aurelius was considered to be well portrayed by Alec Guinness, notably in a long soliloquy that was largely quotations from the emperor's own philosophical work The Meditations
. The composer Dimitri Tiomkin said he found it impossible to write any music for this soliloquy.
, with Marcus Aurelius's winter camp on the Danube shot in snow in the Sierra de Guadarrama
, northern Madrid. The 'Battle of the Four Armies' involved 8,000 soldiers including 1,200 cavalry and was shot on an undulating plain at Manzanares el Real
which allowed large numbers of soldiers to be visible over a long distance.
The film's reconstruction of the Roman Forum
at Las Matas near Madrid
, at 400 x 230 meters (1312 x 754 feet) holds the record for the largest outdoor film set. The various ancient Rome settings covered 55 acres (222,577.3 m²).
The Fall of the Roman Empire was a costly financial failure for producer Samuel Bronston who, after making such epics as John Paul Jones
(1959), King of Kings (1961), El Cid
(1961), and 55 Days at Peking
(1963) had to stop all business activities. A bankruptcy
notice in the New York Times on 6 August 1965, stated the cost of The Fall of the Roman Empire at $18,436,625. He announced his return with a planned epic about Isabella of Spain
, but the film was never made.
The Fall of the Roman Empire was one of the few Ultra Panavision 70
films not exhibited in Cinerama
.
In later years, Miramax
would acquire the US distribution rights to the film. After the founders Bob
and Harvey Weinstein
split with Miramax parent Disney
, they formed the Weinstein Company
, who currently owns US distribution rights.
UK distribution rights would pass to PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
and subsequently Universal Studios
.
. Other notable cues include those for The Roman Forum, composed to accompany Commodus's triumphal return to Rome as the newly-installed Emperor; a percussive scherzo
for a barbarian attack by Ballomar's army; the Tarantella
danced by the Roman mob on the evening presaging the gladiatorial combat between Livius and Commodus (which seems to be modelled on the Tarantella movement from the Piano Concerto of Tiomkin's teacher Ferruccio Busoni
). The score was recorded by the Sinfonia of London
(uncredited) at Shepperton Studios
. The music editor was George Korngold
, son of Erich Wolfgang Korngold
. A sound track album was released by Columbia Records
to coincide with the release of the film.
It was envisioned that Charlton Heston
would be cast as Livius, but ultimately Stephen Boyd, who played opposite to Heston in Ben-Hur
, got the part. It had been offered to Kirk Douglas
, who turned it down.
Richard Harris
was originally cast as Commodus, but he was replaced by Christopher Plummer. Harris would later play the role of Marcus Aurelius in the 2000 film Gladiator
. According to his published diaries, Charlton Heston also refused the role, mainly because he had recently appeared in El Cid and 55 Days at Peking. (It is also rumored that Charlton Heston turned down any part in the movie due to bad blood between himself and Sophia Loren, stemming from El Cid.)
Alec Guiness was cast as Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and during the production he became good friends with Sophia Loren
. On an evening out Sophia persuaded Alec to dance "The Twist
" with her, which he did for the first time in his life. On the flight to Spain, Guinness was reading the script of the film when he was accosted by one of its authors. Guinness was asked if he was studying the lines, but he responded that he was rewriting the lines since he did not think much of them.
Sara Montiel
was cast as Lucilla but she turned it down.
Sophia Loren, the heroine Lucilla, was the highest paid cast member at $1 million.
Epic film
An epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
produced by Samuel Bronston Productions and the Rank Organisation
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
, and released by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. It was directed by Anthony Mann
Anthony Mann
Anthony Mann was an American actor and film director, most notably of film noirs and Westerns. As a director, he often collaborated with the cinematographer John Alton and with James Stewart in his Westerns.-Biography:...
and produced by Samuel Bronston
Samuel Bronston
Samuel Bronston was a Bessarabian-born American film producer, film director, and a nephew of socialist revolutionary figure, Leon Trotsky. He was also the petitioner in a U.S...
with Jaime Prades and Michal Waszynski
Michal Waszynski
Michał Waszyński was first a film director in his native Poland, then in Italy, and later a producer of the major American films, mainly in Spain...
as associate producers. The screenplay was by Ben Barzman
Ben Barzman
Ben Barzman was a Canadian journalist, screenwriter, and novelist. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, and died in Santa Monica, California, USA. He is best known as a writer or co-writer of more than 20 films, from You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith to The Head of Normande St...
, Basilio Franchina and Philip Yordan
Philip Yordan
Philip Yordan was an American screenwriter of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s who also produced several films.He was also known as a highly regarded script doctor...
. It was photographed in 70mm
70 mm film
70mm film is a wide high-resolution film gauge, with higher resolution than standard 35mm motion picture film format. As used in camera, the film is wide. For projection, the original 65mm film is printed on film. The additional 5mm are for magnetic strips holding four of the six tracks of sound...
Ultra Panavision
Ultra Panavision 70
Ultra Panavision 70 and MGM Camera 65 were the photographic marketing brands — ca. 1957 to 1966 — that identified movies photographed with Panavision-brand anamorphic lenses using a 65mm negative and 70mm release print...
by Robert Krasker
Robert Krasker
Robert Krasker, A.S.C. was a cinematographer, who worked on more than fifty films in his career.He was born in Perth, Australia andtravelled to England in 1932 via photographic studios in Paris and Dresden...
, with an original music score by Dimitri Tiomkin
Dimitri Tiomkin
Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin was a Russian-born Hollywood film score composer and conductor. He is considered "one of the giants of Hollywood movie music." Musically trained in Russia, he is best known for his westerns, "where his expansive, muscular style had its greatest impact." Tiomkin...
. The historian Will Durant
Will Durant
William James Durant was a prolific American writer, historian, and philosopher. He is best known for The Story of Civilization, 11 volumes written in collaboration with his wife Ariel Durant and published between 1935 and 1975...
was engaged to advise on period detail and plot. The 2000 film Gladiator
Gladiator (2000 film)
Gladiator is a 2000 historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays the loyal Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed...
was not a formal 'remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
' but has many points of contact with this movie.
The film starred Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
(Lucilla
Lucilla
Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla or Lucilla was the second daughter and third child of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Roman Empress Faustina the Younger and an elder sister to future Roman Emperor Commodus....
), Stephen Boyd
Stephen Boyd
Stephen Boyd was an Irish actor, from Glengormley, Northern Ireland, who appeared in around 60 films, most notably in the role of Messala in Ben-Hur.-Biography:...
(Livius
Livius
Livius is the nomen of an individual male of the Livia gens, a family of ancient Rome. Collectively they were termed the Livii . Any individual female was called Livia. Both male and female names might be qualified by one or more agnomina. Males in addition had a praenomen...
), Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai...
(Marcus Aurelius), James Mason
James Mason
James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
(Timonides), Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five...
(Commodus
Commodus
Commodus , was Roman Emperor from 180 to 192. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. His name changed throughout his reign; see changes of name for earlier and later forms. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded...
), Mel Ferrer
Mel Ferrer
Mel Ferrer was an American actor, film director and film producer.-Early life:Ferrer was born Melchor Gastón Ferrer in Elberon, New Jersey, of Catalan and Irish descent. His father, Dr. José María Ferrer , was born in Cuba, was an authority on pneumonia and served as chief of staff of St....
(Cleander
Cleander
Marcus Aurelius Cleander , commonly known as Cleander, was a Roman freedman who gained extraordinary power as chamberlain and favourite of the emperor Commodus, rising to command the Praetorian Guard and bringing the principal offices of the Roman state into disrepute by selling them to the highest...
) and Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif is an Egyptian actor who has starred in Hollywood films including Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl. He has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won two Golden Globe Awards.-Early life:...
(Sohaemus, King of Armenia
Sohaemus of Armenia
Gaius Julius Sohaemus, also known as Sohaemus of Armenia and Sohaemo was an Emesene Aristocrat from Syria who served as a Roman Client King of Armenia....
) with Finlay Currie
Finlay Currie
Finlay Jefferson Currie was a Scottish actor of stage, screen and television.Currie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1878. His acting career began on the stage. He and his wife Maude Courtney did a song and dance act in the US in the 1890s. He made his first film in 1931...
(Caecina
Caecina
Caecina may refer to various members of the Roman gens Caecina, including:*Aulus Caecina Alienus*Aulus Caecina Severus*Caecina Paetus*Gaius Silius Aulus Caecina Largus...
), Anthony Quayle
Anthony Quayle
Sir John Anthony Quayle, CBE was an English actor and director.-Early life:Quayle was born in Ainsdale, Southport, in Lancashire to a Manx family....
(Verulus), John Ireland
John Ireland (actor)
John Benjamin Ireland was an actor and film director.-Biography:Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, he was raised in New York City from the age of 18. He started out in minor stage roles on Broadway...
(Ballomar), Eric Porter
Eric Porter
Eric Richard Porter was an English actor of stage, film and television.-Early life:Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, to Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth Spall...
(Julianus), Andrew Keir
Andrew Keir
Andrew Keir was a Scottish actor, who rose to prominence featuring in a number of films from Hammer Film Productions in the 1960s. He was also active in television, and particularly in the theatre, in a professional career that lasted from the 1940s to the 1990s...
(Polybius
Polybius
Polybius , Greek ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic Period noted for his work, The Histories, which covered the period of 220–146 BC in detail. The work describes in part the rise of the Roman Republic and its gradual domination over Greece...
), Douglas Wilmer
Douglas Wilmer
-Early life:Wilmer was born in London and educated at King's School, Canterbury and Stonyhurst College. He trained at RADA but was called up to the Army in World War II. Posted to an antitank battery in the Royal West African Frontier Force, he was invalided out after he acquired tuberculosis. He...
(Niger
Pescennius Niger
Pescennius Niger was a Roman usurper from 193 to 194 during the Year of the Five Emperors. He claimed the imperial throne in response to the murder of Pertinax and the elevation of Didius Julianus, but was defeated by a rival claimant, Septimius Severus and killed while attempting to flee from...
) and George Murcell
George Murcell
George Murcell was a British character actor. His first wife was Josephine Tweedy whom he married in 1953, and his second was the actress Elvi Hale whom he was married to from 1960 until his death....
(Victorinus
Victorinus
Marcus Piavonius Victorinus was emperor of the secessionist Gallic Empire from 269 to 271, following the brief reign of Marius. He was murdered by a jealous husband whose wife he tried to seduce.-Reign:...
).
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
Sword and sandal
The Peplum , also known as Sword-and-Sandal, is a genre of largely Italian-made Historical or Biblical Epics that dominated the Italian film industry from 1957 to 1965, eventually being replaced in 1965 by the "Spaghetti Western"...
genre and also enjoys a 100% "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Plot
The timeframe of the film is AD 180–192, from the last days of the Roman EmperorRoman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Marcus Aurelius to the death of his son and successor Commodus
Commodus
Commodus , was Roman Emperor from 180 to 192. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. His name changed throughout his reign; see changes of name for earlier and later forms. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded...
. The film opens with Marcus Aurelius conducting his war to pacify the Germanic
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
tribes along the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
frontier. He has just summoned the governors of all the Roman provinces to his camp in order to present to them Gaius Metellus Livius (a fictional character) as his heir and successor. This is conceivable because Livius indicates that he had been brought into the imperial family by the emperor, presumably by adoption, and the four previous emperors (Nerva
Nerva
Nerva , was Roman Emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became Emperor at the age of sixty-five, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the rulers of the Flavian dynasty. Under Nero, he was a member of the imperial entourage and played a vital part in exposing the Pisonian conspiracy of 65...
, Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
, Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
and Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
) had made their adopted sons their heirs.
What is foremost in Livius' mind is to marry his beloved Lucilla, the emperor's daughter, but Marcus Aurelius feels he must marry her to King Sohaemus of Armenia to cement a peace treaty between him and Rome as a buffer on Rome's eastern border to the hostile Persians (Parthia
Parthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
ns). Livius appeals to her to go away with him, but her duty overrules her heart.
Commodus is devastated when he learns of his father's intention to make Livius his successor. This makes Commodus reckless and hostile toward Livius, who had once been a close friend. Later Commodus would explain that this was his way of letting the gods decide who would be successor. Conspirators, acting independently of Commodus, poison Marcus Aurelius, leaving Livius with only one choice: to proclaim Commodus as "undoubted Caesar." Commodus gratefully makes Livius commander of all Roman armies and his second-in-command.
Commodus begins his reign by opposing Marcus Aurelius' policy of peace and freedom, which he characterizes as weakness, and demanding more taxes and tribute from the eastern provinces of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, driving them to rebellion. Meanwhile Livius pacifies the northern frontier by following Marcus Aurelius' policy of making "human frontiers" for the Roman Empire. He and Timonides, a Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
Christian freedman and friend of Marcus Aurelius, return to Rome along with the conquered German leaders (Ballomar, et al.) with the proposal to Romanize and settle them on abandoned farm land. This proposal is accepted by the Roman Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
, but it sets Livius at odds with Commodus, who all but banishes him to continued duty on the northern frontier. When Commodus is faced with the defection of the eastern provinces and Armenia, he has no one but Livius to turn to. Livius proves to be successful against the eastern rebellion, but he declines following Commodus' demand for brutal retribution. Livius answers Commodus with the demand for either a new Rome or a new Caesar.
Commodus reacts by bribing the senators, plebians, and the army to side with him against Livius. Commodus's success is apparent when the traditional head for the colossal statue of Jupiter
Jupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
in the Capitoline temple is replaced with a likeness of the head of Commodus, and in the senate it is proposed to change Rome's name to "the city of Commodus" and the empire's name to "the empire of Commodus." Livius is arrested and is set to be executed with Lucilla, who had tried to assassinate her brother. Commodus returns Livius' favor to him in proclaiming him undoubted Caesar by challenging him to a gladiatorial combat with the imperial throne as the prize. Livius prevails by killing Commodus and rescuing Lucilla from the flames of execution. Victorinus, who had been bribed by Commodus to deliver Livius's army to him, proclaims Livius Caesar, but Livius declines with the warning that if he were Caesar he would crucify them all (Victorinus, Julianus, Niger, et al.). The film culminates in an auction for the imperial throne. The narrator sums it up: "This was the beginning of the fall of the Roman Empire. A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within." This actually occurred in the accession of Didius Julianus
Didius Julianus
Didius Julianus , was Roman Emperor for three months during the year 193. He ascended the throne after buying it from the Praetorian Guard, who had assassinated his predecessor Pertinax. This led to the Roman Civil War of 193–197...
.
History and fiction in the film
The plot of The Fall of the Roman Empire is a fictionalization of historical trends, events and personages of the Roman Empire from AD 180 to 192, the period in which the Roman Empire's western half entered into decline , ultimately falling in AD 476. In the film, Marcus Aurelius named his adopted son as heir, continuing the tradition of naming adopted children which had survived since NervaNerva
Nerva , was Roman Emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became Emperor at the age of sixty-five, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the rulers of the Flavian dynasty. Under Nero, he was a member of the imperial entourage and played a vital part in exposing the Pisonian conspiracy of 65...
(AD 96–98).
Following a plausible interpretation of the historical records, Commodus is depicted as over-compensating for emotional vulnerability and soon descending into instability and corruption. The irony is in Commodus's directive that the empire should "forget the weakness of my father" with its implication that he would be a strong leader: it is Commodus' army of gladiators that proves to be cowards on the field with the German barbarians and Commodus' harsh policy toward the eastern provinces that had the tendency of weakening the empire by the threatened loss of the east. His father's true ideological heir, Livius, conquers both the Germans and Parthians as well as Commodus himself. In the film Livius is given the epithets "Germanicus" and "Parthius" and is invited to be emperor after the death of Commodus.
The death of Marcus Aurelius is portrayed as the result of a conspiracy to poison him, which was rumoured at the time. Commodus's liking for gladiators and for fighting as a gladiator himself is historically accurate: it led to rumours that he was actually the bastard son of a gladiator who had been the lover of Marcus Aurelius's wife Faustina. In the film, Commodus's gladiatorial trainer and comrade, Verulus (Anthony Quayle), is his real father. This impresses upon Commodus that he is a bastard who never should have been emperor. In a fit of madness he commits patricide
Patricide
Patricide is the act of killing one's father, or a person who kills his or her father. The word patricide derives from the Latin word pater and the Latin suffix -cida...
.
Commodus' sister Lucilla's opposition to his rule is also historical: she was executed for attempting to assassinate him. Her political marriage to the King of Armenia and the survival of her brother are not historically accurate.
The "Battle of the Four Armies" of loyalist and renegade Roman legions against Armenians and Persians is not a historical event. The Sassanid Persian empire
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
did not exist at this time (they are standing in for the historical Parthians
Parthian Empire
The Parthian Empire , also known as the Arsacid Empire , was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Persia...
).
Toward the end of the film Julianus and other senators are shown attempting to bribe the military into making one of them emperor while Commodus and Livius are fighting below them. This makes use of the historical events three months after Commodus's death (he actually died by poisoning and/or strangulation) when Didius Julianus
Didius Julianus
Didius Julianus , was Roman Emperor for three months during the year 193. He ascended the throne after buying it from the Praetorian Guard, who had assassinated his predecessor Pertinax. This led to the Roman Civil War of 193–197...
bribed the Praetorian Guard
Praetorian Guard
The Praetorian Guard was a force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors. The title was already used during the Roman Republic for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC...
to proclaim him Emperor, outbidding his rival Claudius Pompeianus
Claudius Pompeianus
Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus was a Roman general of emperor Marcus Aurelius. He married Aurelius' daughter Lucilla and rose to the rank of senior senator in Rome before twice refusing emperorship for himself....
– a character not shown in the film, though it was he, not a King of Armenia, who actually married Lucilla.
A number of the film's minor characters approximate historical personages: Commodus's corrupt chamberlain Cleander
Cleander
Marcus Aurelius Cleander , commonly known as Cleander, was a Roman freedman who gained extraordinary power as chamberlain and favourite of the emperor Commodus, rising to command the Praetorian Guard and bringing the principal offices of the Roman state into disrepute by selling them to the highest...
(represented in the film as a blind man), his courtier Niger (who may be identified with Pescennius Niger
Pescennius Niger
Pescennius Niger was a Roman usurper from 193 to 194 during the Year of the Five Emperors. He claimed the imperial throne in response to the murder of Pertinax and the elevation of Didius Julianus, but was defeated by a rival claimant, Septimius Severus and killed while attempting to flee from...
a rival claimant with Didius Julianus to the imperial throne), and Livius's comrade Victorinus (probably based on the general of the period named Aufidius Victorinus). Other characters of similar political and social standing appear to be completely fictitious.
It is believed that though the film was highly spectacular and considered intelligently scripted, its failure was partly attributable to what was considered the wooden performance of Stephen Boyd
Stephen Boyd
Stephen Boyd was an Irish actor, from Glengormley, Northern Ireland, who appeared in around 60 films, most notably in the role of Messala in Ben-Hur.-Biography:...
as the loyal general Livius (a fictitious character). In contrast, the performance of Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five...
as the unstable Commodus was considered highly charismatic. As a fledgling motion picture performer—The Fall of the Roman Empire was only his third appearance on film—he began to emerge as a major Hollywood star.
The part of Marcus Aurelius was considered to be well portrayed by Alec Guinness, notably in a long soliloquy that was largely quotations from the emperor's own philosophical work The Meditations
Meditations
Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161–180 CE, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy....
. The composer Dimitri Tiomkin said he found it impossible to write any music for this soliloquy.
Production
The Fall of the Roman Empire was one of Samuel Bronston's superproductions in SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, with Marcus Aurelius's winter camp on the Danube shot in snow in the Sierra de Guadarrama
Sierra de Guadarrama
The Sierra de Guadarrama is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges at the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the Sierra de Gredos in the province of Ávila, and Sierra de Ayllón in the province of Guadalajara...
, northern Madrid. The 'Battle of the Four Armies' involved 8,000 soldiers including 1,200 cavalry and was shot on an undulating plain at Manzanares el Real
Manzanares el Real
Manzanares el Real is a 7,250 inhabitant town in the northern area of the autonomous Community of Madrid. It is located at the foot of The Pedriza, a part of the Sierra de Guadarrama, and next to the embalse de Santillana ....
which allowed large numbers of soldiers to be visible over a long distance.
The film's reconstruction of the Roman Forum
Roman Forum
The Roman Forum is a rectangular forum surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum...
at Las Matas near Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, at 400 x 230 meters (1312 x 754 feet) holds the record for the largest outdoor film set. The various ancient Rome settings covered 55 acres (222,577.3 m²).
The Fall of the Roman Empire was a costly financial failure for producer Samuel Bronston who, after making such epics as John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (film)
John Paul Jones is a 1959 biographical epic film about John Paul Jones. The film was made by Samuel Bronston Productions and released by Warner Bros. It was directed by John Farrow and produced by Samuel Bronston from a screenplay by John Farrow, Ben Hecht, Jesse Lasky Jr. from the story Nor'wester...
(1959), King of Kings (1961), El Cid
El Cid (film)
El Cid is a historical epic film, a romanticized story of the life of the Christian Castilian knight Don Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, called "El Cid" who in the 11th century fought the North African Almoravides and ultimately contributed to the unification of Spain.Made by Samuel Bronston Productions in...
(1961), and 55 Days at Peking
55 Days at Peking
55 Days at Peking is a 1963 historical epic film starring Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, and David Niven, made by Samuel Bronston Productions, and released by Allied Artists. The movie was produced by Samuel Bronston and directed by Nicholas Ray, Andrew Marton , and Guy Green...
(1963) had to stop all business activities. A bankruptcy
Bankruptcy in the United States
Bankruptcy in the United States is governed under the United States Constitution which authorizes Congress to enact "uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States." Congress has exercised this authority several times since 1801, most recently by adopting the Bankruptcy...
notice in the New York Times on 6 August 1965, stated the cost of The Fall of the Roman Empire at $18,436,625. He announced his return with a planned epic about Isabella of Spain
Isabella of Spain
Isabella of Spain may refer to:* Isabella, Princess of Asturias * Isabella of Castile * Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain * María Isabella of Spain...
, but the film was never made.
The Fall of the Roman Empire was one of the few Ultra Panavision 70
Ultra Panavision 70
Ultra Panavision 70 and MGM Camera 65 were the photographic marketing brands — ca. 1957 to 1966 — that identified movies photographed with Panavision-brand anamorphic lenses using a 65mm negative and 70mm release print...
films not exhibited in Cinerama
Cinerama
Cinerama is the trademarked name for a widescreen process which works by simultaneously projecting images from three synchronized 35 mm projectors onto a huge, deeply-curved screen, subtending 146° of arc. It is also the trademarked name for the corporation which was formed to market it...
.
In later years, Miramax
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
would acquire the US distribution rights to the film. After the founders Bob
Bob Weinstein
Robert "Bob" Weinstein is an American film and theatre producer, the founder and head of Dimension Films, former co-chairman of Miramax Films, and current head, with his brother Harvey Weinstein, of The Weinstein Company.-Career:...
and Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein, CBE is an American film producer and movie studio chairman. He is best known as co-founder of Miramax Films. He and his brother Bob have been co-chairmen of The Weinstein Company, their film production company, since 2005...
split with Miramax parent Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, they formed the Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
, who currently owns US distribution rights.
UK distribution rights would pass to PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment was a film studio, founded in 1979 as a European competitor to Hollywood, but eventually sold and merged with Universal Pictures in 1999....
and subsequently Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
.
Musical score
Dimitri Tiomkin's score, which is one of the notable features of the film, is more than 150 minutes in length. It is scored for a large orchestra, including an important part for cathedral organ. Several cues are extended compositions in their own right. These include Pax Romana in which Marcus Aurelius summons the governors of all the Roman provinces. Although Christopher Palmer stated in his book on film music, The Composer in Hollywood, that it was a march, the cue is actually in the style of a boleroBolero
Bolero is a form of slow-tempo Latin music and its associated dance and song. There are Spanish and Cuban forms which are both significant and which have separate origins.The term is also used for some art music...
. Other notable cues include those for The Roman Forum, composed to accompany Commodus's triumphal return to Rome as the newly-installed Emperor; a percussive scherzo
Scherzo
A scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...
for a barbarian attack by Ballomar's army; the Tarantella
Tarantella
The term tarantella groups a number of different southern Italian couple folk dances characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, usually in 6/8 time , accompanied by tambourines. It is among the most recognized of traditional Italian music. The specific dance name varies with every region, for instance...
danced by the Roman mob on the evening presaging the gladiatorial combat between Livius and Commodus (which seems to be modelled on the Tarantella movement from the Piano Concerto of Tiomkin's teacher Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
). The score was recorded by the Sinfonia of London
Sinfonia of London
The Sinfonia of London is a session orchestra based in London, England. Muir Mathieson, the director of music for Rank Films, founded the ensemble in 1955 specifically for the recording of film music...
(uncredited) at Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
. The music editor was George Korngold
George Korngold
George Korngold was a prominent record producer as well as a music editor and producer active within the film industry...
, son of Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Erich Wolfgang Korngold was an Austro-Hungarian film and romantic music composer. While his compositional style was considered well out of vogue at the time he died, his music has more recently undergone a reevaluation and a gradual reawakening of interest...
. A sound track album was released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
to coincide with the release of the film.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Sophia Loren Sophia Loren Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance... |
Lucilla Lucilla Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla or Lucilla was the second daughter and third child of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Roman Empress Faustina the Younger and an elder sister to future Roman Emperor Commodus.... |
| Stephen Boyd Stephen Boyd Stephen Boyd was an Irish actor, from Glengormley, Northern Ireland, who appeared in around 60 films, most notably in the role of Messala in Ben-Hur.-Biography:... |
Livius |
| Alec Guinness Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai... |
Marcus Aurelius |
| James Mason James Mason James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the... |
Timonides |
| Christopher Plummer Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five... |
Commodus Commodus Commodus , was Roman Emperor from 180 to 192. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. His name changed throughout his reign; see changes of name for earlier and later forms. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded... |
| Anthony Quayle Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle, CBE was an English actor and director.-Early life:Quayle was born in Ainsdale, Southport, in Lancashire to a Manx family.... |
Verulus |
| John Ireland John Ireland (actor) John Benjamin Ireland was an actor and film director.-Biography:Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, he was raised in New York City from the age of 18. He started out in minor stage roles on Broadway... |
Ballomar |
| Omar Sharif Omar Sharif Omar Sharif is an Egyptian actor who has starred in Hollywood films including Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl. He has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won two Golden Globe Awards.-Early life:... |
Sohaemus |
| Mel Ferrer Mel Ferrer Mel Ferrer was an American actor, film director and film producer.-Early life:Ferrer was born Melchor Gastón Ferrer in Elberon, New Jersey, of Catalan and Irish descent. His father, Dr. José María Ferrer , was born in Cuba, was an authority on pneumonia and served as chief of staff of St.... |
Cleander |
| Eric Porter Eric Porter Eric Richard Porter was an English actor of stage, film and television.-Early life:Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, to Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth Spall... |
Julianus Didius Julianus Didius Julianus , was Roman Emperor for three months during the year 193. He ascended the throne after buying it from the Praetorian Guard, who had assassinated his predecessor Pertinax. This led to the Roman Civil War of 193–197... |
| Finlay Currie Finlay Currie Finlay Jefferson Currie was a Scottish actor of stage, screen and television.Currie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1878. His acting career began on the stage. He and his wife Maude Courtney did a song and dance act in the US in the 1890s. He made his first film in 1931... |
Senator |
| Andrew Keir Andrew Keir Andrew Keir was a Scottish actor, who rose to prominence featuring in a number of films from Hammer Film Productions in the 1960s. He was also active in television, and particularly in the theatre, in a professional career that lasted from the 1940s to the 1990s... |
Polybius |
| Douglas Wilmer Douglas Wilmer -Early life:Wilmer was born in London and educated at King's School, Canterbury and Stonyhurst College. He trained at RADA but was called up to the Army in World War II. Posted to an antitank battery in the Royal West African Frontier Force, he was invalided out after he acquired tuberculosis. He... |
Niger |
| George Murcell George Murcell George Murcell was a British character actor. His first wife was Josephine Tweedy whom he married in 1953, and his second was the actress Elvi Hale whom he was married to from 1960 until his death.... |
Victorinus Victorinus Marcus Piavonius Victorinus was emperor of the secessionist Gallic Empire from 269 to 271, following the brief reign of Marius. He was murdered by a jealous husband whose wife he tried to seduce.-Reign:... |
| Norman Wooland Norman Wooland Norman Wooland was a German-born British character actor who appeared in many major films, notably in several Shakespearean ones.... |
Virgilianus |
It was envisioned that Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
would be cast as Livius, but ultimately Stephen Boyd, who played opposite to Heston in Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur (1959 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by...
, got the part. It had been offered to Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
, who turned it down.
Richard Harris
Richard Harris
Richard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer....
was originally cast as Commodus, but he was replaced by Christopher Plummer. Harris would later play the role of Marcus Aurelius in the 2000 film Gladiator
Gladiator (2000 film)
Gladiator is a 2000 historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays the loyal Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed...
. According to his published diaries, Charlton Heston also refused the role, mainly because he had recently appeared in El Cid and 55 Days at Peking. (It is also rumored that Charlton Heston turned down any part in the movie due to bad blood between himself and Sophia Loren, stemming from El Cid.)
Alec Guiness was cast as Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and during the production he became good friends with Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
. On an evening out Sophia persuaded Alec to dance "The Twist
Twist (dance)
The Twist was a dance inspired by rock and roll music. It became the first worldwide dance craze in the early 1960s, enjoying immense popularity among young people and drawing fire from critics who felt it was too provocative. It inspired dances such as the Jerk, the Pony, the Watusi, the Mashed...
" with her, which he did for the first time in his life. On the flight to Spain, Guinness was reading the script of the film when he was accosted by one of its authors. Guinness was asked if he was studying the lines, but he responded that he was rewriting the lines since he did not think much of them.
Sara Montiel
Sara Montiel
Sara Montiel is a Spanish singer, and actress. She is still a much-loved and internationally known name in the Spanish-speaking movie and music industries....
was cast as Lucilla but she turned it down.
Sophia Loren, the heroine Lucilla, was the highest paid cast member at $1 million.
Awards
- Golden Globe AwardGolden Globe AwardThe Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
for Best Original Score (nominated & won) - Academy AwardAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Music, Score – Substantially OriginalAcademy Award for Original Music ScoreThe Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
(nominated)
Novelization
A novel based on the film is The Fall of the Roman Empire by Harry Whittington (Fawcett Publications, Inc. & Frederick Muller Ltd., 1964).Home media
The first English-language DVD release was the basic theatrical release of the film, running for 2 hours 52 minutes, was first issued on DVD in 2004. A French DVD release, with sub-titles and/or French dubbing, and a full stereo soundtrack in both, had appeared in 2001. A deluxe edition containing two-disks and a limited collector's edition containing three disks were released on 29 April 2008, but they do not feature lost footage discovered too late to be included. This footage will be featured in an upcoming edition. The Blu-ray Disc was released in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2011.See also
- List of historical drama films
- List of films set in ancient Rome
- List of American films of 1964
- List of Roman Emperors
- The Five Good Emperors, of which Marcus Aurelius was the last
- Decline of the Roman EmpireDecline of the Roman EmpireThe decline of the Roman Empire refers to the gradual societal collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Many theories of causality prevail, but most concern the disintegration of political, economic, military, and other social institutions, in tandem with foreign invasions and usurpers from within the...