Far from awful, this Samuel Bronston produced epic features some great direction by Anthony Mann and some terrific acting by an unlikely cast. Marcus Aurelius dies and, knowing that leaving Rome to loony son Commodus is a bad idea, names Livius (Stephen Boyd) his heir. Livius insists that Commodus take command and thus begins the fall of the empire. The film moves quickly and it's apparent fairly fast that Commodus, played by the unbelievable Christopher Plummer, is a madman. Boyd is actually quite good and has some real chemistry with Sophia Loren (playing the daughter of Marcus Aurelius). Plummer steals the film with his wicked performance. There is perhaps one too many characters to keep track of, but for a 1960s epic, this is a standout. James Mason, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quayle, John Ireland and Alec Guinness co-star. Featuring one of Dimitri Tiomkin least bombastic music scores and stunning cinematography by Robert Krasker.
Review of The Fall of the Roman Empire
