The Fall of the Roman Empire
(B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
'The Fall of the Roman Empire' (a grand epic directed by Anthony Mann) begins with sage, diplomatic emperor Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness) calling together the many representatives of the countries within the Empire as a means of unification, securing peace, & attaining prosperity. When the ailing Marcus suggests that he is intending to turn over the crown to his adopted son, heroic General Livius (Stephen Boyd) and NOT his obnoxious, corrupt son Commodus (Christopher Plummer), he is fatally poisoned by one of Commodus' cronies. Marcus' daughter Lucilla (a gorgeous Sophia Loren) tries to persuade her lover Livius to claim the Imperial throne, but he simply does not want it; thus, the fate of the Empire is in the inefficient hands of the self-adoring Commodus.
Despite strong efforts by other powerful men to save Rome from total ruin (Barbarians are ready to cross frontiers), Commodus vainly declares himself a god and, shockingly, kills those who poses any potential threat to him! Commodus sends Livius away (from Lucilla) on a series of endless military campaigns. A rebellion rises. Bloody chaos ensues. And Livius must decide whether or not to remain loyal to his childhood friend (Commodus). Then, Commodus discovers that his sister Lucilla actually has a stronger claim to the throne than even he does ... so he condemns her to be burned at the stake. Only then does Livius finally step forward, intervene, & fight Commodus in a lonnng, brutal 1-on-1 battle; hoping to win, and try to pick up the shattered pieces of a disabled empire.
Now, this - my friends - is an EPIC. I love epics: Giant, Lawrence of Arabia, Ben-Hur ... I could go on. And this film is right up there in a similar echelon to those. Everything here is big, beautiful, & over-the-top. And yet, the film also includes a wordy, intelligent script that does not normally accompany 'epics'. Attempting to please history buffs as well as action fans, I'd say this movie succeeds in holding interest for both groups. I enjoyed learning about the political intrigue which resulted in the dissolution of the Roman Empire as it was. And it's fascinating to see that - in many ways - the fate of "the world" really lays in the hands of devious backroom schemers and not with the swords, bows, & arrows of brave warriors on the battlefield. That's a cold, hard realization to take.
Commodus allowed his father's empire to fall due to his ignorance, alienation, & unfortunate war ethics. Speaking of his moral character ... one of my favorite segments of the film is when Commodus starts to go mad with power (filming him against a backdrop of huge statues of former Caesars). Plummer gives a great, over-the-top performance as this highly flawed man. Sophia Loren is beguiling, as she normally is. James Mason is wonderful as Timonides, Marcus Aurelius' philosopher adviser. And Alec Guiness is so good that you feel his presence far after his unfortunate early exit. He's magnificent in an opening sequence where he has to greet a seemingly endless cavalcade of emissaries. Some very good performances add to this already impressive production. Speaking of which ...
... this is one of the most gorgeous, UNREAL-to-look-at motion pictures that I've ever seen. The scale & spectacle is off the charts. The production design (Rome's magnificent, decadent monuments; gargantuan interior chambers/halls; an enormous indoor swimming pool) & costumes (hundreds, ornate) are immensely impressive. I felt like I was transported back to that tumultuous, yet incredible time & place. Director Anthony Mann even conveyed beauty to the violence in the film: the torture by torch of poor Timonides (Mason). The off-screen brutality is felt more so because of its off-screen depiction. Just amazing.
Now, the reason I am giving this film a B+ rating and not an A is for 2 things: 1) the film is over 3 hours long; and as can be expected, there are stretches that could have been trimmed or injected with more narrative energy. But most importantly, 2) Stephen Boyd, who I normally find to be a talented actor, did not rivet as he really should have. This is the hero of the story, and yet, I found the villains, side characters, & lead actress to be more interesting, on the whole. But I still admire this movie, greatly. Those terrific sets, costumes, cinematography (I'm thinking of the use of snow during an astonishing funeral sequence), a stirring musical score by Dimitri Tiomkin, & the overall quality of this project counteracts the film's length & my issues with Boyd. 'The Fall of the Roman Empire' is worthy of high praise.
Despite strong efforts by other powerful men to save Rome from total ruin (Barbarians are ready to cross frontiers), Commodus vainly declares himself a god and, shockingly, kills those who poses any potential threat to him! Commodus sends Livius away (from Lucilla) on a series of endless military campaigns. A rebellion rises. Bloody chaos ensues. And Livius must decide whether or not to remain loyal to his childhood friend (Commodus). Then, Commodus discovers that his sister Lucilla actually has a stronger claim to the throne than even he does ... so he condemns her to be burned at the stake. Only then does Livius finally step forward, intervene, & fight Commodus in a lonnng, brutal 1-on-1 battle; hoping to win, and try to pick up the shattered pieces of a disabled empire.
Now, this - my friends - is an EPIC. I love epics: Giant, Lawrence of Arabia, Ben-Hur ... I could go on. And this film is right up there in a similar echelon to those. Everything here is big, beautiful, & over-the-top. And yet, the film also includes a wordy, intelligent script that does not normally accompany 'epics'. Attempting to please history buffs as well as action fans, I'd say this movie succeeds in holding interest for both groups. I enjoyed learning about the political intrigue which resulted in the dissolution of the Roman Empire as it was. And it's fascinating to see that - in many ways - the fate of "the world" really lays in the hands of devious backroom schemers and not with the swords, bows, & arrows of brave warriors on the battlefield. That's a cold, hard realization to take.
Commodus allowed his father's empire to fall due to his ignorance, alienation, & unfortunate war ethics. Speaking of his moral character ... one of my favorite segments of the film is when Commodus starts to go mad with power (filming him against a backdrop of huge statues of former Caesars). Plummer gives a great, over-the-top performance as this highly flawed man. Sophia Loren is beguiling, as she normally is. James Mason is wonderful as Timonides, Marcus Aurelius' philosopher adviser. And Alec Guiness is so good that you feel his presence far after his unfortunate early exit. He's magnificent in an opening sequence where he has to greet a seemingly endless cavalcade of emissaries. Some very good performances add to this already impressive production. Speaking of which ...
... this is one of the most gorgeous, UNREAL-to-look-at motion pictures that I've ever seen. The scale & spectacle is off the charts. The production design (Rome's magnificent, decadent monuments; gargantuan interior chambers/halls; an enormous indoor swimming pool) & costumes (hundreds, ornate) are immensely impressive. I felt like I was transported back to that tumultuous, yet incredible time & place. Director Anthony Mann even conveyed beauty to the violence in the film: the torture by torch of poor Timonides (Mason). The off-screen brutality is felt more so because of its off-screen depiction. Just amazing.
Now, the reason I am giving this film a B+ rating and not an A is for 2 things: 1) the film is over 3 hours long; and as can be expected, there are stretches that could have been trimmed or injected with more narrative energy. But most importantly, 2) Stephen Boyd, who I normally find to be a talented actor, did not rivet as he really should have. This is the hero of the story, and yet, I found the villains, side characters, & lead actress to be more interesting, on the whole. But I still admire this movie, greatly. Those terrific sets, costumes, cinematography (I'm thinking of the use of snow during an astonishing funeral sequence), a stirring musical score by Dimitri Tiomkin, & the overall quality of this project counteracts the film's length & my issues with Boyd. 'The Fall of the Roman Empire' is worthy of high praise.