The Fall of the Roman Empire (film)

The Fall of the Roman Empire
Original theatrical release poster
by Renato Fratini
Directed byAnthony Mann
Written by
Produced bySamuel Bronston
Starring
CinematographyRobert Krasker
Edited byRobert Lawrence
Music byDimitri Tiomkin
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • March 24, 1964 (1964-03-24) (UK)
  • March 26, 1964 (1964-03-26) (US)
Running time
185 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$16 million[2]
Box office$4.8 million (US)[3]

The Fall of the Roman Empire is a 1964 American epic historical drama film directed by Anthony Mann and produced by Samuel Bronston, with a screenplay by Ben Barzman, Basilio Franchina and Philip Yordan. The film stars Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness, James Mason, Christopher Plummer, Mel Ferrer, and Omar Sharif.

When the filming of El Cid (1961) had finished, Anthony Mann saw a copy of Edward Gibbon's 1776–1789 six-volume series The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire inside Hatchards bookshop. He pitched a film adaptation of the book to Samuel Bronston, who then agreed to produce the project. Philip Yordan was enlisted to write the script while Charlton Heston was initially set to star. However, Heston backed out of the film and agreed to star in 55 Days at Peking (1963). Prominent actors were cast to portray multiple roles in the film. The final screenplay was written by Ben Barzman and Basilio Franchina with a prologue written by historian Will Durant. Filming began in January 1963 and wrapped in July. The film featured the largest outdoor set in the history of film at that time, a 92,000 m2 (990,000 sq ft) replica of the Roman Forum.

The film's name refers not to the final fall of the Roman empire, which did in fact survive for centuries after the period depicted in the film, but rather to the onset of corruption and decadence which led to Rome's demise. It deals extensively with the problem of imperial succession, and examines both the relationship between father and son on the background of imperial politics as well as the nature and limits of loyalty and friendship.

On March 24, 1964, the film premiered at the London Astoria. Critics found the script lacking in emotion and humanity and the direction misguided, but accorded a degree of praise for the large spectacles.[4][5][6][7][8] The film was a financial failure at the box-office.

  1. ^ "The Fall Of The Roman Empire". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  2. ^ Hopper, Hedda (March 20, 1964). "'Roman Empire' Has $16 Million Look: Pageantry and Performances in Bronston Film Praised". Los Angeles Times. Part V, p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)". The Numbers.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference critic1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference critic2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference critic3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference critic4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference critic5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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