The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) on Netflix
In 180 A.D., Germanic tribes threaten Rome's northern borders. The ailing Emperor Marcus Aurelius must choose his heir. His son Commodus is hungry for power, while General Gaius Livius is loyal.
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- Netflix4.0/5
- IMDb6.7/1011,477 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes93%
Trailer
Plot summary
During 180 A.D., Germanic tribes threaten the Roman Empire's northern borders along the Danube. The emperor, Marcus Aurelius, is ill but still leads the defense. His two main assistants are Timonides, a Greek former slave, and Gaius Livius, an honest general. Aurelius privately hopes for an heir who will reform the empire and give equal rights to every subject. His son Commodus does not meet this standard, as he prefers to rule through force. Aurelius therefore decides on Livius to succeed him. Livius is also a close friend of Commodus and the lover of Lucilla, the emperor's daughter. The decision is not yet made public.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Charlton Heston was set to play the lead, Livius, but turned the film down, and Kirk Douglas refused the part too even after a $1.5 million offer, a decision Douglas said in 1971 that he regretted.
- Richard Harris was reported cast as Commodus but in January 1963 was replaced by Christopher Plummer, who pulled out of The V.I.P.s to take the role; Harris went on to play Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator (2000).
- The film's replica of the Roman Forum, built at Las Matas near Madrid, measured 400 by 230 meters and holds the record for the largest outdoor film set, and unusually for the film it was not extended with matte paintings.
- The Roman Forum set was built while the script was still being written, even though the script had never mentioned it; under Philip Yordan's supervision, scenes were rewritten so that action happened there, to screenwriter Ben Barzman's dismay.
- The elaborate sets built for The Fall of the Roman Empire were pulled down and replaced with the Forbidden City sets for 55 Days at Peking (1963), which went into production while this film was placed on hold.
- Producer Samuel Bronston was convicted of perjury after his company's bankruptcy: questioned under oath about a Zürich account, he told only of the company's six-month account while he also held a personal one there.
