Although it’s now over a millennium and a half since the fall of the Roman Empire, the civilisation continues to have a hold on the Western imagination. With reminders of the ancient culture written into lands as far apart as Britain and Iraq, perhaps this is inevitable. Who could visit Rome without finding wonder in the eternal city?
The stories of the Roman Empire, especially when it clashed with the religions that shaped the West, Judaism and Christianity, are so deep-rooted in Western psyches that they have been fertile ground for makers of film and television in every generation.
Join us for a roundup of ten of the best sword and sandals epics that have delighted and thrilled audiences over the decades.
‘Gladiator’ (2000)
Although full of historical inaccuracies and implausible attempts to plonk American politics on top of Roman ones (there’s no evidence that the Emperor Marcus Aurelius would have sought to return power to the Senate following his death), Ridley Scott’s film is undoubtedly a cinematic classic. It is impressive on its first and one hundredth viewing. Russell Crowe’s fascinating character, the Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius, keeps us hooked as he journeys through the end of the reign of good Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris in one of his last roles) into the despotic reign of the late emperor’s son Commodus (brilliantly played by Joaquin Phoenix). An early use of CGI was able to salvage Oliver Reed’s performance as the freedman slave trader Proximo, Maximus’ unlikely ally. Nobody could have foreseen that the actor was delivering his final performance – and magnificent he is too – when he suffered a heart attack and died just before finishing his scenes.
‘Masada’ (1981)
The TV miniseries featured Peter O’Toole as a Roman general charged with quelling a Jewish revolt and Peter Strauss as the Jewish leader Eleazar ben Yair. The impressive cast also featured Anthony Quayle, who was often cast as a Roman, and David Warner. ‘Masada’ told the deeply moving story of the siege of the walled city as the Romans sought to quell Jewish resistance in the conquered province of Judea. The events occurred in 73 AD after the fall of Jerusalem. If you’ve ever visited the Coliseum in Rome, you may have noticed the Arch of Titus next to it, which celebrates Emperor Titus’s conquest of Judea. This miniseries, which was partially filmed at the remains of the ancient city in Israel, brings the tragic events in Masada hauntingly to life.
‘Ben-Hur’ (1959)
Directed by William Wyler (‘Roman Holiday’), the religious epic film follows the life of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince who is betrayed and seeks revenge during the time of Jesus Christ. Charlton Heston takes on the title role in one of his most acclaimed performances. The impressive cast merges American and British talent. The incredible chariot race sequence took three months to film, requiring over one thousand extras to be on hand for each day. The film won eleven Academy Awards and is generally considered one of Hollywood’s best productions.
‘Spartacus’ (1960)
Celebrated director Stanley Kubrick was behind the camera for this epic tale of a major slave uprising against their Roman oppressors during the time of the Late Republic. Although Kubrick was never entirely happy with the project, feeling that he didn’t have full creative control, the end result is magnificent. Kirk Douglas memorably plays the title role. British stage legend Laurence Olivier is the Roman general Crassus and John Gavin (‘Psycho’) plays a young Julius Caesar. Good use is also made of Tony Curtis (‘Some Like it Hot’) as the young slave Antoninus. It won four Academy Awards.
‘Rome’ (2005 – 2007)
The acclaimed TV series documented the transition of Rome from the Late Republic to the early years of Empire. The bloody period was beset by numerous civil wars and political upheaval, including the assassination of Julius Caesar (memorably played by Ciarán Hinds). As well as depicting events through the upper class Patrician characters, ordinary soldiers (from the Plebeian class) are also woven into the historical events. The sets, at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, can be visited.
‘The Fall of the Roman Empire’ (1964)
Directed by Anthony Mann, who had also made the medieval epic ‘El Cid’, the film explores the circumstances behind the decline of the Roman Empire, loosely based on Edward Gibbon’s Eighteenth Century scholarly works on the subject. Although the Roman Empire didn’t fall until the early Fifth Century, historians agree that the rot started in the late Second Century. As with Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’, this film features the troubling transition from Marcus Aurelius, the last of the ‘Five Good Emperors’, to his cruel and despotic son Commodus. The Empire never fully recovered from this ugly period of upheaval and unrest. Legendary British actor Alec Guinness (‘Star Wars’, ‘The Bridge of the River Kwai’) plays outgoing Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Christopher Plummer (‘The Sound of Music’) is chillingly good as his wicked son Commodus. Anthony Quayle plays yet another Roman. Sophia Loren has a prominent role as Lucilla, the daughter of Marcus Aurelius.
‘I, Claudius’ (1976)
The groundbreaking British TV series forced TV executives to radically rethink the possibilities of television as a medium. The extraordinary cast saw Derek Jacobi in the lead role, with John Hurt as Caligula, Siân Phillips as Livia, Brian Blessed as Augustus, Patrick Stewart as Sejanus and George Baker as Tiberius. Based on fictional books by Robert Graves, the series depicts the recollections of the elderly Claudius of his early life. The series recounts the unlikely circumstances that led the stammering and scholarly survivor of Caligula’s brutal reign to become Emperor in 41 AD. It remains a gripping piece of television drama almost half a century after it was created and every episode boasts familiar faces. John Hurt gives the best performance of the crazy Emperor Caligula yet committed to film – watch this rather than the saucy Malcolm McDowell film.
‘Quo Vadis’ (1951)
Unusually using Latin in the title (it means, “Where are you going?”), the religious epic is a love story about the romance between a Roman soldier Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor) and a young Christian woman (Deborah Kerr). It is set during the cruel Emperor Nero’s persecution of the Christians, whom he tried to blame for the Great Fire of Rome in 59 AD. Peter Ustinov, who would later appear in ‘Spartacus’, is on top villainous form as the Roman Emperor Nero and picked up an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his troubles. It is directed by Mervyn LeRoy (who had produced ‘The Wizard of Oz’).
‘Cleopatra’ (1963)
The film is made famous by the ingenious pairing of real-life couple Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The doomed romance between the Egyptian Queen and Roman general was immortalised by William Shakespeare. This was Hollywood’s impressive attempt at depicting the civil war at the end of the Late Republic, which is sympathetic to the losing side – Marc Antony and Cleopatra. It featured Rex Harrison (‘My Fair Lady’) and Rowdy McDowall (‘Planet of the Apes’) as the antagonists Julius Caesar and his adopted son Octavian, later Augustus Caesar, the first Roman Emperor. The Anglo-American production, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, is known for its lavish sets and costumes. The chemistry between Taylor and Burton lifts the film into classic status.
‘The Eagle’ (2011)
A rare depiction of Roman Britain on film sees the valiant attempt by young Roman soldiers to reclaim the lost Roman eagle standard in Northern Britain (Caledonia). There was no greater humiliation for a Roman general than to lose a standard to the enemy, and such a defeat would invariably lead to the general’s suicide for the sake of his honour. The film stars Channing Tatum and Donald Sutherland alongside British actor Jamie Bell as a slave. Hungary doubles for Roman Britain, for those who enjoy seeking out filming locations.
I hope you enjoyed our overview of some of the many great film and TV adaptations of Roman stories that have been made over the decades. Which other titles would you have included?
