The Fall Of The Roman Empire (1964)

A Classic

This is not so great movie but still enjoyable.At last available in a DVD with decent picture and sound, along with mind blowing extras. This limited collector's edition comes with 1 additional booklet and few art cards. Even though I purchased the Limited Edition, I feel like the goodies not worth the additional money I paid. Also the box will eat up more space in your DVD rack. So buying the The Fall Of The Roman Empire (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (The Miriam Collection) will be a good deal. I highly recommend this along with .El Cid (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (The Miriam Collection) to any classic DVD collection June 28, 2008

If You Love Old Movies....

Then this one will be right up there.

The contrast between the "old" movies and new ones is very apparent in this particular extravaganza. The focus is on the spectacle. Acting, scripting and accuracy are entirely secondary though not neglected. I like the movie and hence give it four stars but simply as entertainment. I could not get over the set design, the cast of thousands for extras, the range of vision offered. Modern movies use computer imagery to do this stuff. This movie relied on the basics... if you want to portray an army, hire one... and dress them up in period costumes.

Further, in contrast to "modern" movie making, the moralizing is "in your face." Marcus Aurelius is portrayed as pretty near a saint... modern ideas of "freedom" are unabashedly imposed on folks who had very little in common with them, etc. This movie genre is "historical myth" and that is OK. There is a place for myth (young Geo. Wash. chopping down that apple tree) in the communication of morals (as in the "moral" of the story) and its force should not be underestimated. An entire generation grew up watching this type of movie and on the whole, I think it was probably a more healthy environment for them than some of the modern stuff the young folks are exposed to now.

So... if you like old movies... this is a good one. June 24, 2008

The king is dead.

If you liked El Cid or the Gladiator, then this is a must. I think that it's a better story telling then the Russel Crowe remake. June 24, 2008

REVIEW FOR THE MIRIAM COLLECTION ONLY

The Fall of the Roman Empire is one of those big Hollywood spectacle films that were so prevalent during the 50s and 60s. It was produced by Samuel Bronston and directed by Anthony Mann who had teamed together three years earlier on another great sword and sandal epic, El-Cid. The Fall of the Roman Empire was a disappointment at the box-office in large part due to its lack of a big star in the male lead role. Charlton Heston turned down the role as he despised Sophia Loren who plays the female lead Lucilla. Kirk Douglas also turned down the lead role of Livius that eventually went to Stephen Boyd. Boyd was a very capable actor but didn't have the sizzle of a Heston or Douglas. Besides Boyd and Loren, the cast also includes Alec Guiness (Caesar Marcus Aurelius), James Mason (Timonides), Christopher Plummer (Commodus), Omar Sharif (Sohamus), Anthony Quayle (Verulus) and John Ireland (Ballomar).

Surprisingly, the film is historically accurate on a number of different counts. While the Livius character is fictional, Marcus Aurelius was rumored to have been poisoned, Commodus had a well documented love for the gladiatorial games, and his sister, Lucilla, did oppose his rule and attempt to assassinate him (Although this would be cut from the film so it did not make Loren's character look bad). Many of the minor supporting characters are also based in historical fact. The film opens at a Roman fortification along the Danube frontier as Roman forces battle the barbarian Germanic tribes. Marcus Aurelius believes Rome's best option is to make peace with the Barbarians and wants their leader, Ballomar brought in to discuss terms. Commodus opposes his father's views leading to Marcus naming Livius as heir to be the next Caesar instead of his own son. But before he can document his will, Marcus is poisoned by conspirators and Commodus becomes the next Caesar.

Commodus reverses his father's pacifist and diplomatic policies and sets out to conquer the barbarians and stirs up hostilities by taxing his allies from Armenia and Egypt. Once like brothers, Livius and Commodus are now bitter enemies and Livius is banished to the Northern frontier as Commodus continues to abuse his powers. Now bordering on madness, Commodus becomes a prime example of absolute power corrupting absolutely.

The Fall of the Roman Empire is a true epic spectacle in every sense of the word. The recreation of Rome in full scale is absolutely stunning. However, the cost of building the sets on such a massive scale coupled with the poor box-office returns resulted in financial ruin for Producer Sam Bronston and his production company was forced to file for bankruptcy. You have to appreciate the dedication to historical accuracy, right down to the costuming as the uniforms worn by the soldiers of various nations was said to be thoroughly authentic. Without the modern use of computer technology, the films grand "Battle of the Four Armies" was staged with as many as 18,000 extras.

The performances in the film are generally strong. Boyd and Plummer definitely do their best to upstage each other and are guilty of hamming it up a bit much. On the other hand, Alec Guinness is outstanding as a serene and intelligent Marcus Aurelius. His calm wisdom will make modern fans think of his more famous role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars films. Loren gives an understated performance and she's miles away from the sex queen idol roles she'd become known for most.

This is an outstanding boxed set collection. The three DVD Special Collector's Edition set comes with host of fantastic extras including:

Reproduction of Original 1961 Souvenir Program
Six Color Production Stills (Collector's Edition Only)
Feature commentary by the producer's son Bill Bronston and film expert Mel Martin
Rome in Madrid Featurette
Fall of the "Real" Roman Empire Featurette
Making of Fall Of The Roman Empire featurette
Hollywood Vs. History featurette
Encyclopedia Britannica On The Roman Empire - 5 featurettes
Original Theatrical Trailer
June 12, 2008

There is still one scene missing...

I agree totally with all you guys who left reviews of this DVD before.
You actually do see every dollar spent on this production! The more often I watch this movie the more I love it, meanwhile preferring it even to Ben-Hur!
However the print used for this transfer was a 35mm print (as it was with El Cid), not a 70mm Ultra-Panavision print that would have presented the movie in all of its ribbon-like glory (as shown in the DVD release of the above mentioned Ben Hur, another Ultra-Panavision movie).
Unfortunately there is still one scene missing I saw years ago in a movie theater: after Livius' and Commodus' celebration of their first encounter (the wine-drinking contest) and their dilemma-discussion they climb a staircase. The lost scene shows the two men entering a viewing platform to look down into some kind of hurdling containing captured barbarian women. The next scene shows Commodus molesting one of these women. It is just a one-minute scene but it contains some cold-blooded dialogue by Commodus and its loss is indicated by an odd break in the music. There is one special feature contained in this disc, a simple text card with an apology referring to one recently found scene that could not be put back into the picture before the DVD release; I am positive it is that very scene and I am looking forward to a later release of this wonderful movie with that scene intact. June 11, 2008

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