The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
March 24, 1964Release Date
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
March 24, 1964Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently The Fall of the Roman Empire is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Apple TV, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Microsoft Store, Hoopla
Streaming in:🇺🇸 United States
Cast & Crew.
Sophia Loren
Lucilla
Stephen Boyd
Livius
Alec Guinness
Marcus Aurelius
James Mason
Timonides
Christopher Plummer
Commodus
Anthony Quayle
Verulus
John Ireland
Ballomar
Omar Sharif
Sohamus
Mel Ferrer
Cleander
Eric Porter
Julianus
Finlay Currie
Senator
Andrew Keir
Polybius
Douglas Wilmer
Niger
George Murcell
Victorinus
Norman Wooland
Virgilianus
Michael Gwynn
Cornelius
Virgílio Teixeira
Marcellus
Peter Damon
Claudius
Rafael Luis Calvo
Lentulus
Lena von Martens
Helva
Roland Carey
Barbarian (uncredited)
Margaret Fuller
Part of Court (uncredited)
Mario Ghignone
Gladiators Trainer (uncredited)
Gabriella Licudi
Tauna (uncredited)
Jeffrey O'Kelly
Brother of Livius (uncredited)
Robert Rietti
Opening Narrator (voice / uncredited)
Guy Rolfe
Marius (uncredited)
José Terrón
Soldier on Horse (uncredited)
Friedrich von Ledebur
Barbarian (uncredited)
Patricia Wright
Roman Citizen, Slave Woman (uncredited)
Anthony Mann
Director
Andrew Marton
Second Unit Director
Herbert Taylor
Orchestrator
Dimitri Tiomkin
Conductor / Original Music Composer
Cecil Bolton
Orchestrator
Samuel Bronston
Presenter / Producer
Julio Sempere
Second Second Assistant Director
George Parrish
Orchestrator
David Tamkin
Orchestrator
Mauro Sacripanti
Second Assistant Director
Frank Comstock
Orchestrator
Robert Docker
Orchestrator
Ben Barzman
Screenplay
Veniero Colasanti
Production Design / Set Decoration / Costume Design
Philip Yordan
Screenplay
Maude Spector
Casting
Robert Krasker
Director of Photography
John Moore
Production Design / Set Decoration / Costume Design
Edward Gibbon
Author
Jaime Prades
Associate Producer
Basilio Franchina
Screenplay
Robert Lawrence
Editor
Yakima Canutt
Stunt Coordinator / Second Unit Director
C.O. Erickson
Production Manager
Cecilio Paniagua
Second Unit Cinematographer
David Hildyard
Sound Mixer
John Harris
Camera Operator
Milton C. Burrow
Sound Effects Editor
Alex Weldon
Special Effects
Bruno Pasqualini
Electrician
José María Ochoa
Assistant Director
Gordon K. McCallum
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Maciek Piotrowski
Title Illustration
Magdalena Paradell
Assistant Editor
Media.
Details.
Release DateMarch 24, 1964
StatusReleased
Running Time3h 8m
Content RatingNR
Budget$19,000,000
Box Office$4,750,000
Filming LocationsMadrid, Spain
Genres
Last updated:
This Movie Is About.
Wiki.
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 Western 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. The film was a financial failure at the box office, earning $4.8 million on a budget of $16 million.