Best Movies Set in Rome

[Graham Sumner]

They're in the openning scene when the Caesarians are burning the Pompeian dead. That's it though. BUT you may recall that one third of the movie was discarded because late in the game someone decided to make it a 4 hour film instead of two 3 hour films ! So much was lost - most of it battle oriented scenes I suspect.

Not too sure about that. However that particular scene was added later because there were no big land battle scenes in the film and the studios thought there should be, That is why Burton who was unavailable by then is missing and the character of Canidius, Andrew Faulds introduced instead. Amazing they actually ran out of money when it came to do battles (apart from Actium) which is why Burton takes on the whole Roman army single handed. Note however that most of the whole Roman Army are on the skyline. Plus no action scenes at Pharsalus either. One also suspects that action scenes were not director Mankiewicz' forte note the blink and you will miss it battle he also did in Julius Caesar!

I think even more than FOTRE Cleopatra was one of the greatest lost opportunities in cinema history. It could have been a legendary classic but in spite of everything ever said about it being one of the most costliest flops ever made it did eventually make its money back!

We also get a favorable view of the Romans - ironically enough- from Pontius Pilate when he gave his final speech to Ben Hur about "where ever there's great power....error is also great". Great scene, IMO.

Quite right. Frank Thring was always superb as a villain!!!

although in Ben Hur I don't get the impression that the Romans are bad,

Perhaps not some Romans but Rome..... "is strangling the earth, when she falls there will be a cry of freedom the like of which has never been heard" or something along those lines. A bit different to being "like a mighty tree with green leaves and black roots"!

Graham.