The Fall of the Roman Empire (Blu-ray) Blu-ray, 1964

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MovieMail's Review

Chock-full of extras and also available on blu-ray, this is the definitive presentation of this star-studded widescreen epic. Its scale and ambition is unimaginable today, says James Oliver.

Produced on a scale that's simply unimaginable in these days of CGI shortcuts, The Fall of the Roman Empire was an infamous flop when first released. Viewed today, however, it emerges as maybe the best of the sword and sandal genre, balancing impressive spectacle with keen intelligence.

We begin in the reign of Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness); 17 years of war have left him worried for the survival of the Empire. His son and heir Commodus (Plummer) is a wastrel, so Caesar decides to appoint an alternative successor, the steadfast Livius (Boyd), to guide Rome to a new dawn. Alas, Marcus is bumped off before the arrangements can be made and Commodus takes the laurels, setting Rome on a precipitous decline.

This is big stuff, so director Anthony Mann sensibly concentrates on the characters at the heart of the story, putting as much weight on the ill-fated romance of Livius and the beautiful Lucilla (Loren) as on the imperial politicking. Now restored to something approaching its original glory, it's one of the greatest of all epics.

James Oliver on 19th April 2011
View all 116 of James Oliver's reviews

Film Information

Director - Anthony Mann

Produced - 1964

Main Language - English

Countries & Regions - American film

Cast - Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness, James Mason, Sophia Loren, Christopher Plummer

Blu-ray Details

Certificate:	PG	Publisher:	Anchor Bay	Region:	B
Length:	172 mins	Aspect:	Widescreen	Cat No:	ABB8040
Format:	Blu-ray Colour

Blu-ray Extras

2 discs
Audio Commentary with Bill Bronston and Mel Martin
The Rise and Fall of an Epic Production: The Making of the Film
The Rise and Fall of an Empire: An Historical Look at the Real Roman Empire
Dimitri Tiomkin: Scoring the Roman Empire
Hollywood vs. History: An Historical Analysis
Bill Deneen New Intro
Original Intro & Life In Ancient Rome
Julius Caesar
Claudius: Boy of Ancient Rome
Rome In Madrid: 1964 Promotional Film
The Fall Of The Roman Empire Trailer.

Film Description

A Hollywood spectacular in the grand tradition, The Fall of the Roman Empire was made following the success of Mann's 1961 widescreen epic El Cid, and features a star-studded cast in an epic re-telling of the last days of the Roman Empire. The set of the forum is said to be the largest ever built for a film. Philip Yordan's intelligent script makes for a sombre, engrossing chronicle and Dimitri Tiomkin was nominated for an Oscar for his score.

Emperor Aurelius is poisoned by his son Commodus who succeeds him, only to bring the once mighty Empire to its knees through pestilence and war with the Barbarians.