The Fall of the Roman Empire

Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness

The second and last of Anthony Mann's historical epics is a smart, handsome spectacle of the decadence, corruption, and intrigue that tears apart the greatest empire the world has seen. The sprawling ...( read more  read more... )story spreads itself thin over a number of characters and stories. At the center are handsome but stiff Stephen Boyd as Livius, the loyal soldier and symbolic son of the aging emperor (Alec Guinness), and Christopher Plummer as Commodus, the corrupt heir to the throne--boyhood friends turned enemies when the latter accedes to the throne and sells out the values of his father for greed and hedonistic pleasures. The three-hour running time is filled out with the tales of Sophia Loren (as the beautiful Lucilla in love with Livius but coveted by greedy Commodus) and a gallery of heroes and villains that includes James Mason, Mel Ferrer, Anthony Quayle, John Ireland, Omar Sharif, and Eric Porter. The film is highlighted with spectacular scenes (a grandiose funeral fit for an emperor, brutal battles in the provinces as the barbarians threaten the empire, and a climactic duel to decide the destiny of Rome), which Mann weaves into the shadowy intrigue of the halls of power. Like his previous epic El Cid, The Fall of the Roman Empire remains one of the best of the 1960s epics: well written (and largely historically accurate) with strong performances and a consistently elegant style, but it lacks a central core and the magnetic hero of its superior predecessor. --Sean Axmaker

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Unrated, 182 min.

Directed by: Anthony Mann

Released: January 1, 1964

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DVD Released: February 28, 2001

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Top Flixster Reviews


  • July 31, 2007
    Remade as an action film called "Gladiator". This one was a historical epic piece of cinema, with slightly cheesy production values.
  • April 27, 2009
    Beautiful classic and Loren is and always will be a stunner.
  • April 16, 2009
    Quite good, if a little long on talk, Hollywood version of the end of the mighty Roman Empire in the 5th Century AD.
  • February 22, 2009
    wow umn just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch its got a great cast of actors/actressess thorughout this movie..i think that andrew keir, stephen boyd, omar shariff play good parts throughout this movie..i think that the director of this Act... ...( read more )
  • January 27, 2009
    An uncommonly cerebral version of a sword-and-sandal epic. Not quite as good as it's progeny Gladiator but well-made and very entertaining, nevertheless. Alec Guiness was a natural choice for Marcus Aurelius and Plummer really established himself in Hollywood in a superb performa... ...( read more )

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