The Fall of the Roman Empire
1964 · Movie · NR · 188 min · ★ 6.5 · 87% critics
As northern tribes threaten Rome, an aging emperor must choose who will inherit his power: his ambitious son or a trusted general. The decision sparks court intrigue, shifting loyalties, and mounting conflict, as the empire struggles to hold together under pressure from both enemies and internal politics.
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Details
- Years
- 1964
- Release date
- 1964-03-24
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 188 min
- Critic score
- 87/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.5/10 (224 votes)
- Box office
- $4,750,000
- Budget
- $19,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a classic, large-scale Roman epic with palace intrigue, big battles, and lavish spectacle, like El Cid; Not for you if you dislike long runtimes, heavy dialogue, or soapier romance detours.
Pros: lavish sets and costumes; grand battle scenes; strong supporting cast | Cons: very long runtime; talky, slow pacing; uneven lead performances
Themes
- roman empire
- ancient rome
- barbarian
- chariot
- thoughtful
- 2nd century
- poisoning
- commodus
- cómodo
- fall roman empire
- fall empire
- dramatic
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Original Score · 1965 · nominated
Cast & crew
Sophia Loren
as Lucilla
Stephen Boyd
as Livius
Alec Guinness
as Marcus Aurelius
James Mason
as Timonides
Christopher Plummer
as Commodus
Anthony Quayle
as Verulus
John Ireland
as Ballomar
Omar Sharif
as Sohamus
Mel Ferrer
as Cleander
Eric Porter
as Julianus
Directed by Anthony Mann