Chichester Cinema at New Park
The Fall of the Roman Empire
Part of the A Roman Weekend
Celebrating 1600 Years of Independence from the Roman Empire
Click on the image to see all the films in the season.
The last of Anthony Mann's historical epics is a smart, handsome spectacle of the decadence, corruption and intrigue that tore apart the Roman Empire.
At the centre are handsome Stephen Boyd as Livius, the loyal soldier and symbolic son of the ageing emperor Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness), and Christopher Plummer as Commodus, the corrupt heir to the throne. They are 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) 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.
It remains one of the best of the 1960s epics: well written (and historically accurate up to a point) with strong performances and a consistently elegant style. Ridley Scott's ‘Gladiator’ tackles the same story with an updated action-adventure slant.
Part of the A Roman Weekend
Celebrating 1600 Years of Independence from the Roman Empire
Click on the image to see all the films in the season.
USA · 1964 · Anthony Mann · 188min
