|
|
Rating:  - EP Copy of The Fall of the Roman Empire
This was a dubbing of a damaged original tape with occasional frames streaked by prior playback causing wrinkles in tape that was copied from otherwise good source.
Rating:  - The Fall of the Roman Empire
I really enjoy the moview and the quality of the DVD is very good. I received the DVD within 5 days of my order.
Rating: - Epic whose time has FINALLY come
One of THE great "spectacle" movies....it has it all, including a fanastic re-consruction of the Roman forum. Full scale and three dimensional it is really a marvel of set-design and money well spent. The movie was reviewed poorly in "64" (relase date)but now gets 3 or 4 star ratings, which it deserves !! Alec Guinness gives a truly wonderful performance....Chris Plummer and James Mason not far behind. Of course one has the stalwart hero (Stephen Boyd) and beautiful herione (Sophia Loren) who do the best they can with roles offered. Big battle scenes....beautiful interior sets.... excellent cast...love story....condensed history lesson and then that Forum... enough for ANY history buff to enjoy. So what if it isn't "accurate"? How many movies of any type are ??? Now a few asides....a few years later Alec Guinness professed not to remember making this movie.. Charlton Heston was offered but refused the lead.. movie trailer states "not one not two but 13 great sets including the entire re-construction of the Roman Forum (at the height of its grandur and glory?). Samuel Bronston was to have kept said set as tourist attraction but movie cost some $20,000,000 and made $2,000,000. But before set was torn down, Roman scholors did make visits to it , I did too but in 1971 and by that time it was gone.(a heart breaker!!) I also remember a few words from the Time mag. review..."Bronston's Rome is too new" Foolishly said, I think.
Rating:  - Don't Watch This . Get :" I Claudius" Instead.
If you are a serious student of history don't watch this. It will seem very inaccurate and horrendously petty, especially the last part when the soldiers were running around and fighting to get some gold in their hands. I was very disappointed with this film. The epic drama:"I Claudius" is way, way, better. In fact, there's no comparison what so ever.
Rating: - The Original Gladiator
Another one of the more decent sword-and-sandal films to come out of the 1960s directed by Michael Mann (El Cid.) The screenplay is quite good ("Gladiator" is essentially the same screenplay) and the sets excellent but the casting and acting is somewhat uneven. Nevertheless, the spectacular sets and costumes along with the top-knotch acting of the more seasoned actors more than makes up for the film's defects.
The story follows Livius (Stephen Boyd) who is loyal to Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness) and lover of Lucilla (the absolutely gorgeous Sophia Loren.) Commodus (Christopher Plummer) resents his father's affections for Livius as well as Lucilla's. Jealous of Livius and fearing that he may take his right to the throne, Commodus seeks to destroy him. Once upon the throne, Commodus becomes a corrupt ruler who takes pleasure in the arena but is fearful of the barbarian hordes coming into Italy. The film also stars James Mason, Omar Sharif, and Eric Porter.
A major feast in this film apart from Sophia Loren who was in her prime was the historical faithfulness and the simply colossal scale of the production. Filmed in Spain, the film left a legacy with a production on an epic scale. They replicated a significant section of the Forum stone for stone as it was under Marcus Aurelius to exact specifications: it still stands there today! One of the major draw backs to the film however is Stephen Boyd in the lead role; not only was he a mediocre actor, but his performance as Livius is no different than that of Massala's in Ben Hur; instead of turning bad, he just remains good. I also couldn't stop thinking of Ben Hur when he was in the chariot race at the beginning of the film. Christopher Plummer is outstanding as Commodus but a little too old for the part. Alec Guiness certainly equals if not surpasses Richard Harris' performance in 'Gladiator.' Although certainly more historically faithful than 'Gladiator' which is more a historical fantasy epic than drama, the film's plot cuts out 270 years of Roman hegemony to reach a climax of barbarian hordes ravaging through Italy and bringing the fall of Rome.
If you liked 'Gladiator' and don't have a bias against older films, you will probably enjoy this film. It has an outstanding production where no expense was too high. The casting and acting is somewhat uneven but that is complemented by the great performances of several seasoned theatrical actors such as Alec Guiness and Christopher Plummer. Although this film is not entirely accurate historically, it's certainly more so than 'Gladiator' or even 'Spartacus.' A good movie to own.
|
|