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The Fall of the Roman Empire

Play trailer Poster for The Fall of the Roman Empire 1964 2h 33m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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56% Tomatometer 50 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Toward the end of his reign, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness) intends to hand over his throne to the steadfast soldier Livius (Stephen Boyd). Before he can enact his intentions, a loyalist to Commodus (Christopher Plummer), the de facto heir, poisons Aurelius. Commodus becomes an ineffectual leader, corrupt and pompous -- and although Livius concedes to Commodus' rule, he cannot stand by when Commodus threatens to kill Aurelius' daughter, Lucilla (Sophia Loren).
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The Fall of the Roman Empire

The Fall of the Roman Empire

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Critics Consensus

Wrangling a civilization's slow decline into a runtime that's frustratingly episodic, The Fall of the Roman Empire is splendid to look at but climaxes the sword-and-sandal genre more with a whimper than a bang.

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Critics Reviews

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Richard Roud Guardian Jun 30
"The Fall" has, unfortunately, intellectual pretensions. And it doesn't have much action. Strangely enough, what action there is is very clumsily handled. Go to Full Review Philip K. Scheuer Los Angeles Times Jun 30
As moviemaking it is stupendous. Yet the only emotion it engenders is excitement -- intermittent excitement, and its art lies in its parts, but not in their sum. Go to Full Review Variety Staff Variety Jun 30
Large in theme and concept, colorful in treatment, The Fall of the Roman Empire is Sam Bronston's greatest coup de cinema. It has large earning potential. Go to Full Review Felix Barker Liverpool Echo Jun 30
A real breakthrough for an epic -- a splendid example of how, without sticking to the letter of history, you can capture its rich and fascinating spirit. Go to Full Review Josephine O'Neill The Sun-Herald (Australia) Jun 30
Samuel Bronston has been so busy making an epic that he has forgotten that the Romans were human, too. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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KarthiK P. @madkarthi Jun 15 It is a mixed fictional film overall. But it absolutely captures a stunning level of quality on screen. The production values are massive. I really love the beautiful historical costumes. The giant physical set pieces and those massive crowded scenes look incredibly impressive. Even though the story takes a lot of fictional liberties with history the grand scale of the filmmaking is fantastic. I really like this film for its spectacular presentation and old school epic vibe. See more Leaburn O @RT35452347 Apr 6 Ok so it is a ridiculous rewriting of history but a very entertaining one with an incredible set. One of Hollywood’s greatest financial flops has aged as an impressive monument to grand ambitious film making. Superb cast brings this tale to life. Really enjoyed the epic. Watched on BBC iPlayer. See more David T @RT35094583 Sep 5 This movie could have been an hour shorter. A lot of mugging for the camera (sorry Sophia). Some of the speeches were unnecessary and the battle scenes were somewhat silly. Plummer is a good actor and Boyd is the usual eye candy. The sets were good and the history was fairly accurate. They spent some cash on this thing and I think it lost money. In 1964 American tastes were changing, these epics were becoming history. All in all, not a bad movie just too long a a little messy. See more chris t @RT02401283 12/06/2024 Terribly slow and ponderous, wooden dialogue, the male bonding scene at start is cringtastic . I think they watched this before they made gladiator, and said let's remake except we leave out the boring crap bits See more Adam T @RT96698429 12/05/2024 Stellar cast give wonderful performances in this great historical romp - albeit let down by limp battle sequences. See more John A @ExcessMale 01/11/2024 Doesn't have the status that Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia have but don't let that discourage you. This is an involving and strikingly photographed epic. See more Read all reviews
The Fall of the Roman Empire

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Cast & Crew

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Anthony Mann

Director

Sophia Loren

Lucilla

Alec Guinness

Marcus Aurelius

Stephen Boyd

Livius

James Mason

Timonides

Christopher Plummer

Commodus

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Toward the end of his reign, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness) intends to hand over his throne to the steadfast soldier Livius (Stephen Boyd). Before he can enact his intentions, a loyalist to Commodus (Christopher Plummer), the de facto heir, poisons Aurelius. Commodus becomes an ineffectual leader, corrupt and pompous -- and although Livius concedes to Commodus' rule, he cannot stand by when Commodus threatens to kill Aurelius' daughter, Lucilla (Sophia Loren).
Director
Anthony Mann
Producer
Samuel Bronston
Screenwriter
Ben Barzman, Basilio Franchina, Philip Yordan
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Samuel Bronston Productions
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 26, 1964, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 1, 2012
Runtime
2h 33m
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