THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (1964) ¢ ¢ ¢
D: Anthony Mann
Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness,
Chirstopher Plummer, James Mason, Anthony Quayle,
Omar Sharif, Mel Ferrer, John Ireland
This movie covers roughly the same historical ground as Ridley Scott's "Gladiator": the last days of Marcus Aurelius, followed by the disastrous reign of his son Commodus. It's stately and a little stiff, but there's some intelligence in the script and the all-star cast gets the job done. James Mason orates, Christopher Plummer smirks, Stephen Boyd races a chariot, Alec Guinness brings a touch of humor to Marcus Aurelius, and Sophia Loren never looked more regal. The production values, predictably, are colossal. For anybody keeping track of the mounting comparisons between ancient Rome and 21st-century America, the last line of voiceover narration is ominous.
