Der Fall des Römischen Reiches/Der Fall des römischen Empire (1964) [ Schwedischer Ursprung, keine italienische Sprache] (Blu-Ray)

Edición coleccionista, con libro de dibujos de comic, pero la película sin remasterizar, calidad de imagen baja.

THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE [1964 / 2011] [Two-Disc Deluxe Edition] [Blu-ray + DVD] [UK Release] A Sumptuous Epic! Never Before A Spectacle Like It!One of the great screen epics, director Anthony Mann's Oscar® nominated ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE’ comes to Blu-ray for the first time in this digitally remastered deluxe edition. The all-star cast includes Academy Award® winners Sir Alec Guinness and Sophia Loren with Christopher Plummer, Stephen Boyd, James Mason and Omar Sharif. Drawn from the same events that later inspired the film ‘Gladiator.’ The film charts the power-hungry greed and father-son betrayal that led to Rome's collapse at the bloody hands of the Barbarians. Featuring great sets, fine acting, and a thundering battle scenes. Plus a blistering chariot race rivalling that of ‘BEN-HUR.’ This is a must-see “epic full of the gore and glories of ancient Rome” (Channel 4). Narrated by Robert Rietty.FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: Golden Globe® Awards: Win: Best Original Score for Dimitri Tiomkin. Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Music Score for Dimitri Tiomkin [Substantially Original]. ‘The Fall of the Roman Empire’ was one of Bronston's super-productions in Spain, with Marcus Aurelius's winter camp on the Danube shot in snow in the Sierra de Guadarrama, northern Madrid. The 'Battle of the Four Armies' involved 8,000 soldiers including 1,200 cavalry and was shot on an undulating plain at Manzanares el Real which allowed large numbers of soldiers to be visible over a long distance. The film's reconstruction of the Roman Forum at Las Matas near Madrid, at 400 x 230 meters (1312 x 754 feet) holds the record for the largest outdoor film set. The various ancient Rome settings covered 55 acres (220,000 m2).Cast: Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Sir Alec Guinness, James Mason, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quayle, John Ireland, Omar Sharif, Mel Ferrer, Eric Porter, Finlay Currie, Andrew Keir, Douglas Wilmer, George Murcell, Norman Wooland, Michael Gwynn, Virgilio Teixeira, Peter Damon, Rafael Calvo, Lena von Martens, Roland Carey (uncredited), Margaret Fuller (uncredited), Gabriella Licudi (uncredited), Jeffrey O'Kelly (uncredited), Guy Rolfe (uncredited), Friedrich von Ledebur (uncredited), Patricia Wright (uncredited) and Robert Rietty (voice) (uncredited)Director: Anthony MannProducers: Jaime Prades, Michal Waszynski and Samuel BronstonScreenplay: Basilio Franchina, Ben Barzman, Philip Yordan and Edward Gibbon (novel) (uncredited)Composer: Dimitri TiomkinCinematography: Robert KraskerVideo Resolution: 1080p [Technicolor]Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 [Panavision]Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English: 2.0 LPCM Digital Stereo and English: 2.0 Dolby Digital StereoSubtitles: NoneRunning Time: Film: 172 minutes and Extras: 153 minutesRegion: Region B/2Number of discs: 2Studio: Paramount Pictures / Anchor Bay EntertainmentAndrew’s Blu-ray Review: How do you adapt a six volume historical work that spans 1200 years for the screen? It was a question many critics had for director Anthony Mann when he took on the challenge of making ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE’ [1964] and based on Edward Gibbon's acclaimed work, “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.” Although Edward Gibbon's epic narrative spanned from 200 AD to the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Anthony Mann chose to concentrate on the first 300 years. Many factors led to the decline of the Roman Empire, too many, in fact, to cover adequately in a 172 minute feature, but Anthony Mann focuses on the political power shift that eventually resulted in the invasion of the Barbarians and the rise of Christianity, two factors which ended Roman domination of the civilized world.The film opens during the reign of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (AD 121-180) as he considers a successor to his throne. Instead of choosing his own son Commodus [Christopher Plummer] to succeed him, Aurelius [Sir Alec Guinness] favours his adopted son, Livius [Stephen Boyd], a decision which is never made official because of the emperor's premature death. Instead, Commodus proclaims himself Emperor and Livius, his boyhood friend, pledges his support and is appointed Commander of the Army. But where Aurelius made a humane and philosophical leader, Commodus proves himself to be a rash and irresponsible one. Eventually his tyranny alienates Livius who ends up siding with Lucilla [Sophia Loren], Commodus's sister and the wife of the Armenian King, Sohamus [Omar Sharif]. The power struggle between Commodus and Livius culminates in the latter leading the Barbarians against the Romans with a decisive javelin duel to the death between the emperor and his former army commander.Ask anyone who knows about ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,’ and their response is sure to include the word "sumptuous." From back in the day when epic meant upwards of 10,000 extras, gargantuan sets, and 122-piece orchestras, Anthony Mann's 1964 consolation prize after being fired from 1960's ‘Spartacus’ is filled with literal pageantry: parades of troops in authentic costumes and plenty of heraldic ceremony.It's unusual for a set to be a film's greatest achievement, but here is an unusual set, shepherded by the great Veniero Colasanti and John Moore, partners in production design, set decoration, and costume design. The Roman Forum was completely constructed: 27 structures over seven months, down to the cobblestones and statuary. In other words, CGI is for wimps. No backdrops, no matte paintings, no facades, this was a three-dimensional scale replica. Aside from the jaw-dropping sets and costumes, ‘The Fall of the Roman Empire’ is a pretty decent classic film in its own right, sometimes overripe or stodgily stolid, but in its fictionalised way acknowledging the complicated political pressures that worked against the empire.Mann was also a big advocate of filming on location because he discovered early on that unpredictable occurrences due to weather or some uncontrollable factor could actually result in an inspired cinema moment. "For instance," he recalled, "I had always thought for Roman Empire, I would love to do the death of Marcus Aurelius in the snow. One morning I woke up and it was really snowing. So I called everybody early and I got them up there and I said: 'I know it's freezing to death here, but we'll put you in warm tents and we're going to do this sequence all in the snow.' It was marvelous! Because it had a silence about it, a kind of majesty it wouldn't have had if it had been done on a sunny day or any other kind of day."The old-school acting can inspire eye-rolling at times, but Sir Alec Guinness, James Mason, and Christopher Plummer keep things lively with well-calibrated performances, and John Ireland, Mel Ferrer, and Anthony Quayle contribute as supporting players. Anthony Mann ably choreographs the action sequences, including an impressive chariot race sequence and battles between the Romans and the raven-maned Germanic "barbarians" at the gates. This long film's centrepiece scene is Commodus' quite remarkable procession into what may be the largest film set ever built and the Roman Forum recreation and culminating in the warning "Remember: thou art mortal." Tell that to producer Samuel Bronston, who bankrupted his production company with this entertaining epic.When ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE’ finally opened in its theatrical run, the critics were sharply divided over it. The film was made toward the end of the epic film cycle in the early sixties and many moviegoers had become bored with the genre. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote, "So massive and incoherent is it, so loaded with Technicolor spectacles, tableaus and military melees that have no real meaning or emotional pull, that you're likely to have the feeling after sitting through its more than three hours...that the Roman Empire has fallen on you." Numerous reviewers pointed out that Anthony Mann's film was a distortion of Edward Gibbon's work, an accusation that prompted the director to remark, "Now I guarantee you there is not one person that had read Edward Gibbon...From Bosley Crowther on down or up. And for them to start to say: 'This isn't Gibbon' well, this is a load of crap! Because all we were trying to do was dramatized how the Roman Empire fell. Incest, buying an army, destroying the will of the people to speak through the Senate, all these things...were in the film." Nevertheless, The Fall of the Roman Empire was generally overlooked during Oscar® time though it did receive a sole nomination for Best Score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Yet the film certainly had its defenders, particularly in England where the Daily Express called it "an epic to make one cheer rather than cringe" and the critic for the Evening Standard "proclaimed it one of the best all-round epics I have ever seen." And in recent years, the film's reputation continues to grow with director Martin Scorsese among its more famous admirers.Blu-ray Video Quality – ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE’ storms onto the Blu-ray format courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment with an awesome impressive 1080p [Technicolor] encoded image, and also with an equally impressive 2.35:1 [Panavision] aspect ratio. The 1080p image is remarkably sharp with excellent detail on this Region B/2 Blu-ray disc, and there is still a lot of excellent separation of shades, and black levels are strikingly solid, the effect is breath-taking. There is also some wonderful cinematography in this film; especially with a long, continuous and panning shots of all the running battle scenes is totally mesmerising and the clarity even benefits the action scenes. All in all the presentation is totally fantastic. This is a superb effort from Anchor Bay Entertainment that once again proves how fabulous classic films can look in 1080p. Like the best video experiences, ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE’ really transports you to another time; to ancient Rome, to vintage Hollywood. And it makes us appreciate this glorious Blu-ray technology not only for what it can do for the present and future, but also for the past. Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.Blu-ray Audio Quality – The Anchor Bay Entertainment 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound presentation on this Blu-ray disc, is a totally awesome solid one. Surround sounds manage to be in good use a good bit of the time, delivering both ambiance and action. Sometimes they aren't always active, especially in a few spots where we would expect them to be in some scenes. The militaristic, percussion-heavy music of composer Dimitri Tiomkin sounds wonderfully powerful and engaging, and especially with the opening credits. The battle scene sequences, you really feel the impact of the all the fighting that goes on in those scenes and you get some nice effects, as well as chilling ones. This soundtrack is the best I've ever heard with this film, and easily surpasses the totally inferior DVD disc I owned for some time.DVD Special Features and Extras:Special Feature: The Rise and Fall of an Epic Production [2008] [480i] [1.78:1] [29:12] Here we are presented with a great new documentary on the making of the film ‘The Fall Of The Roman Empire,’ and we have contributions from Mel Martin [Author]; Paul G. Nagle [Biographer of Samuel Bronston]; Norma Barzman [Wife of Ben Barzman]; Neal M. Rosendorf, Ph.D. [Historian and Biographer]; Anna Mann [Wife of Anthony Mann]; Nina Mann [Daughter of Anthony Mann]; C.O. "Doc" Erickson [Production Manager] and William Bronston, M.D. [Son of Samuel Bronston]. As we get into this special feature, we get to hear how Anthony Mann was in London and came across a book shop that had the abridged novel of “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” and Anthony Mann immediately contacted Samuel Bronston to inform him that this should be their next project, because the book would inspire to make a fantastic film on the Roman Empire and with the help of famous British thespian actors, it would give an international appeal to the paying public. After they had finished the film ‘EL CID,’ which starred Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren and felt they would be ideal for this Roman epic film, but unfortunately Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren hated and detested the sight of each other, so Charlton Heston turned the part down, but Sophia Loren was totally enthusiastic to sign up for the part in the film. One thing we are told is that Sophia Loren got on so well with Anthony Mann and also loved all the English actors’ accents and especially Sir Alec Guinness. We get to hear some fascinating facts about this Roman epic film, because there were 60,000 extras employed for the film, they employed 350 construction workers, there was 170,000 concrete blocks cast, which resulted in 27 three dimensional structures, 1.6 million feet of tubing was used, which would of measured 320 miles laid end to end, there was also 33,000 gallons of paint used, there was over 350 free standing statues of varies sizes. The tallest structure was the Temple of Jupiter which rose to 650 feet, that sat on a man-made hill, which rose almost a 100 feet in the air and so all in all they built was historical accurate. Although ‘EL CID’ was a box office hit, sadly ‘The Fall Of The Roman Empire’ was a financial headache and cost over $28 million to make and at the time of its release was not a box office hit, but today it has now become a cult classic hit, where everyone appreciates the films artistic merit.Special Feature: Dimitri Tiomkin: Scoring The Roman Empire [2008] [480i] [1.78:1] [20:03] This special feature goes into magnificent depth on the subtleties of Dimitri Tiomkin composer's work on the Roman epic film, and here we have contributions from John Burlingame [Film Music Historian]; Olivia Tiomkin-Douglas [Widow of Dimitri Tiomkin]; Mel Martin [Author] and John Mauceri [Conductor]. We get to hear that Dimitri Tiomkin was not happy with his work on ‘EL CID’ as he felt the sound effects drowned out his music score, so with the collaboration with Samuel Bronston, he wanted Dimitri Tiomkin film score to be heard and was given total freedom. Most of the recordings were done in London and Samuel Bronston spent a lot of money on the film score, which in turn brought out the best in Dimitri Tiomkin music score for this Roman epic film. At the start of the film you get the dramatic organ music and also at the end of the film, well it was done by the organ in Westminster Hall in London. But of course with this special feature on Dimitri Tiomkin, everyone praises this brilliant film composer, because with all the films he has composed for, he always brings out the best with every film in such a dramatic way.Special Feature: Julius Caesar: The Rise of the Roman Empire [1964] [480i] [1.33:1] [21:38] On the 15th March, 44 B.C., a man was murdered on the floor of the Roman Senate and among the assassins, could be counted more friends than his enemies, but most of all he was loved, he was hated, but most of all he was feared. Here we have a dramatized story of Julius Caesar's rise to power, explaining the factors that enabled him to transform a city-republic into a world empire. Discusses the personal qualities of Julius Caesar in relation to the political, economic, and social conditions that existed in Rome in the last century before the birth of Christ. The film was produced by Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc. It was in collaboration with John W. Eadie, Ph.D. [University of Michigan]. But most importantly it was produced in cooperation with The Samuel Bronston Production in relation with the film ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.’ Directed and Produced by William Deneen. Music was composed by Fred Jocobs.Special Feature: Rome in Madrid [1964] [480i] [1.37:1] [22:14] With this full-colour 1964 promotional film, that is narrated by James Mason. A cut above the usual style of documentary and the film gives us glimpses of the massive sets being built, as well as the production's stables and arsenal. We see the arrival of Sophie Loren in Madrid. You see costume and makeup screen tests for Sir Alec Guinness, Christopher Plummer, Stephen Boyd, James Mason, and Omar Sharif. Sir Alec Guinness and Christopher Plummer are viewed in a staged chess match; and we get a comparison of the standing Roman ruins, artist's rendering of the buildings, and the finished set. This was a Globe Video Film Production.Special Feature: Hollywood vs. History [2008] [480i] [1.78:1] [9:45] Here we get contributions from the experts Dr. Neal M. Rosendorf, Ph.D. [Historian and Biographer]; Dr. Peter Heather [King's College London]; Dr. Ronald Mellor [Professor of Roman History at the UCLA]; Norma Barzman [Wife of Ben Barzman] and Mel Martin [Author]. They all look at the parts of the Roman Epic film that accurately represent the reality of the situations and characters as well as which elements take liberties. We get to find out about the real facts versus fiction aspect of Hollywood’s impression of the Roman Empire in this special feature. The all say they were very impressed with the film set in Madrid, and also comparing the film's script to what's historically known. But one passing thought from Mel Martin, is that the film is not 100% accurate, but the film has to look much more spectacular, otherwise it would be totally boring for the general paying public.Special Feature: Claudius: Boy Of Ancient Rome [1964] [480i] [1.37:1] [16:08] Once again we have another presentation film from the people at Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc. A dramatisation of a Roman boy's friendship with a slave in his father's household. It depicts, through the young boys' experiences and activities, the way of life and customs of ancient Rome. Once again William Deneen utilises the sets from Samuel Bronston's epic 'The Fall of the Roman Empire.' This 'Claudius' was actually one of two released concurrently by the Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc. It was in collaboration with John W. Eadie, Ph.D. [University of Michigan]. But most importantly it was produced in cooperation with The Samuel Bronston Production in relation with the film ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.’ Directed and Produced by William Deneen. Music was composed by Fred Jocobs.Special Feature: Life in Ancient Rome [1964] [480i] [1.33:1] [15:32] Here we have commentator William Deneen gives us a running commentary, especially describing that in the year 106 A.D. during the reign of the Emperor Trajan, the power of Rome extended throughout most of the known world. The new government was strong enough to maintain world peace for more than two centuries. This film describes the life in Rome during this time. We also get to see the sight in Madrid informing us about the different structure designs of the building. The film was produced by Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc. It was in collaboration with John W. Eadie, Ph.D. [University of Michigan]. But most importantly it was produced in cooperation with The Samuel Bronston Production in relation with the film ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.’ Directed and Produced by William Deneen. Music was composed by Fred Jocobs.Special Feature: The Rise and Fall of an Empire [2008] [480i] [1.78:1] [10:58] At the start of this documentary, we get a sign saying, Henry David Thoreau says, “Rome imposes her story still upon this late generation.” Once again we get contributions from Dr. Peter Heather [Professor of Medieval History] and Dr. Ronald Mellor [Professor of Roman History at the UCLA]. Here we get informed more known facts about Rome, and also the unencumbered aspect view in Hollywood. We also hear about the historic structure of the Roman Empire, from its great heights of being a super power, but we also hear the reason for the collapse of the Roman Empire, but most of all many scholars have theorised the collapse of the Roman Empire, but they cannot give a direct precise answer why the collapse of the Roman Empire happened.Special Feature: Bill Deneen New Intro [1964] [480i] [1.78:1] [3:28] Here we get to see a much older Bill Deneen [Director and Producer] who was the head of the Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc. Bill Deneen talks about how he was able to make his Encyclopaedia Britannic Films about the Roman Empire in conjunction with the film ‘The Fall Of The Roman Empire,’ especially being able to use the Madrid film set after the film was finished. The situation arose when Bill Deneen contacted Samuel Bronson and asked if could use the film set and without any hesitation Samuel Bronson gave Bill Deneen the green light and was very honoured that someone wanted to use the film set in Madrid. When Bill Deneen finally visited the Roman film set, he was totally overwhelmed by what he encountered when he finally walked onto the film set.Theatrical Trailer [1964] [480i [1.37:1] [4:02] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘The Fall Of The Roman Empire.’ But for some unknown reason it is being brought to you by The Rank Organisation and being presented on the DVD disc, the quality is totally atrocious.Finally, on the purely image level, there are some impressive scenes, such as one of a parade of chariots arriving at a northern fortress in the snow, and another of the funeral of Marcus Aurelius. This has the grandeur of ancient ritual, with the bier of the dead emperor carried in a torchlight procession through the swirling snow. There is also something very commanding about Dmitri Tiomkin's musical score. Largely accurate in historical terms, thanks to a wordy but intelligent script by Philip Yordan who was a master of the epic style, it is surprisingly restrained, both in terms of action and acting. But the atmosphere is consistently convincing: darkness holds sway on the fringes of the Empire, where the armies are struggling to repel the invading hordes, while Rome is presented as a magnificent but decadent monument to the unimaginative pragmatism of the Roman mind. But overall it has fantastic awesome terrific sets, and again a stirring music score by Dimitri Tiomkin and the overall quality of the production values manage to counteract the film's length. All in all ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE’ is a really wonderful old-fashioned, widescreen, 172 minutes epic, shot in glorious Technicolor and Anthony Mann’s film is a feast for the eyes and they certainly do not make films like this classic look at the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film FanLe Cinema ParadisoUnited Kingdom

THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE [1964 / 2011] [Two-Disc Deluxe Edition] [Blu-ray + DVD] A Sumptuous Epic! Never Before A Spectacle Like It!One of the great screen epics, director Anthony Mann's Oscar® nominated ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE’ comes to Blu-ray for the first time in this digitally remastered deluxe edition. The all-star cast includes Academy Award® winners Sir Alec Guinness and Sophia Loren with Christopher Plummer, Stephen Boyd, James Mason and Omar Sharif. Drawn from the same events that later inspired the film ‘Gladiator.’ The film charts the power-hungry greed and father-son betrayal that led to Rome's collapse at the bloody hands of the Barbarians. Featuring great sets, fine acting, and a thundering battle scenes. Plus a blistering chariot race rivalling that of ‘BEN-HUR.’ This is a must-see “epic full of the gore and glories of ancient Rome” (Channel 4). Narrated by Robert Rietty.FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: Golden Globe® Awards: Win: Best Original Score for Dimitri Tiomkin. Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Music Score for Dimitri Tiomkin [Substantially Original]. ‘The Fall of the Roman Empire’ was one of Bronston's super-productions in Spain, with Marcus Aurelius's winter camp on the Danube shot in snow in the Sierra de Guadarrama, northern Madrid. The 'Battle of the Four Armies' involved 8,000 soldiers including 1,200 cavalry and was shot on an undulating plain at Manzanares el Real which allowed large numbers of soldiers to be visible over a long distance. The film's reconstruction of the Roman Forum at Las Matas near Madrid, at 400 x 230 meters (1312 x 754 feet) holds the record for the largest outdoor film set. The various ancient Rome settings covered 55 acres (220,000 m2).Cast: Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Sir Alec Guinness, James Mason, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quayle, John Ireland, Omar Sharif, Mel Ferrer, Eric Porter, Finlay Currie, Andrew Keir, Douglas Wilmer, George Murcell, Norman Wooland, Michael Gwynn, Virgilio Teixeira, Peter Damon, Rafael Calvo, Lena von Martens, Roland Carey (uncredited), Margaret Fuller (uncredited), Gabriella Licudi (uncredited), Jeffrey O'Kelly (uncredited), Guy Rolfe (uncredited), Friedrich von Ledebur (uncredited), Patricia Wright (uncredited) and Robert Rietty (voice) (uncredited)Director: Anthony MannProducers: Jaime Prades, Michal Waszynski and Samuel BronstonScreenplay: Basilio Franchina, Ben Barzman, Philip Yordan and Edward Gibbon (novel) (uncredited)Composer: Dimitri TiomkinCinematography: Robert KraskerVideo Resolution: 1080p [Technicolor]Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 [Panavision]Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English: 2.0 LPCM Digital Stereo and English: 2.0 Dolby Digital StereoSubtitles: NoneRunning Time: Film: 172 minutes and Extras: 153 minutesRegion: Region B/2Number of discs: 2Studio: Paramount Pictures / Anchor Bay EntertainmentAndrew’s Blu-ray Review: How do you adapt a six volume historical work that spans 1200 years for the screen? It was a question many critics had for director Anthony Mann when he took on the challenge of making ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE’ [1964] and based on Edward Gibbon's acclaimed work, “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.” Although Edward Gibbon's epic narrative spanned from 200 AD to the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Anthony Mann chose to concentrate on the first 300 years. Many factors led to the decline of the Roman Empire, too many, in fact, to cover adequately in a 172 minute feature, but Anthony Mann focuses on the political power shift that eventually resulted in the invasion of the Barbarians and the rise of Christianity, two factors which ended Roman domination of the civilized world.The film opens during the reign of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (AD 121-180) as he considers a successor to his throne. Instead of choosing his own son Commodus [Christopher Plummer] to succeed him, Aurelius [Sir Alec Guinness] favours his adopted son, Livius [Stephen Boyd], a decision which is never made official because of the emperor's premature death. Instead, Commodus proclaims himself Emperor and Livius, his boyhood friend, pledges his support and is appointed Commander of the Army. But where Aurelius made a humane and philosophical leader, Commodus proves himself to be a rash and irresponsible one. Eventually his tyranny alienates Livius who ends up siding with Lucilla [Sophia Loren], Commodus's sister and the wife of the Armenian King, Sohamus [Omar Sharif]. The power struggle between Commodus and Livius culminates in the latter leading the Barbarians against the Romans with a decisive javelin duel to the death between the emperor and his former army commander.Ask anyone who knows about ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,’ and their response is sure to include the word "sumptuous." From back in the day when epic meant upwards of 10,000 extras, gargantuan sets, and 122-piece orchestras, Anthony Mann's 1964 consolation prize after being fired from 1960's ‘Spartacus’ is filled with literal pageantry: parades of troops in authentic costumes and plenty of heraldic ceremony.It's unusual for a set to be a film's greatest achievement, but here is an unusual set, shepherded by the great Veniero Colasanti and John Moore, partners in production design, set decoration, and costume design. The Roman Forum was completely constructed: 27 structures over seven months, down to the cobblestones and statuary. In other words, CGI is for wimps. No backdrops, no matte paintings, no facades, this was a three-dimensional scale replica. Aside from the jaw-dropping sets and costumes, ‘The Fall of the Roman Empire’ is a pretty decent classic film in its own right, sometimes overripe or stodgily stolid, but in its fictionalised way acknowledging the complicated political pressures that worked against the empire.Mann was also a big advocate of filming on location because he discovered early on that unpredictable occurrences due to weather or some uncontrollable factor could actually result in an inspired cinema moment. "For instance," he recalled, "I had always thought for Roman Empire, I would love to do the death of Marcus Aurelius in the snow. One morning I woke up and it was really snowing. So I called everybody early and I got them up there and I said: 'I know it's freezing to death here, but we'll put you in warm tents and we're going to do this sequence all in the snow.' It was marvelous! Because it had a silence about it, a kind of majesty it wouldn't have had if it had been done on a sunny day or any other kind of day."The old-school acting can inspire eye-rolling at times, but Sir Alec Guinness, James Mason, and Christopher Plummer keep things lively with well-calibrated performances, and John Ireland, Mel Ferrer, and Anthony Quayle contribute as supporting players. Anthony Mann ably choreographs the action sequences, including an impressive chariot race sequence and battles between the Romans and the raven-maned Germanic "barbarians" at the gates. This long film's centrepiece scene is Commodus' quite remarkable procession into what may be the largest film set ever built and the Roman Forum recreation and culminating in the warning "Remember: thou art mortal." Tell that to producer Samuel Bronston, who bankrupted his production company with this entertaining epic.When ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE’ finally opened in its theatrical run, the critics were sharply divided over it. The film was made toward the end of the epic film cycle in the early sixties and many moviegoers had become bored with the genre. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote, "So massive and incoherent is it, so loaded with Technicolor spectacles, tableaus and military melees that have no real meaning or emotional pull, that you're likely to have the feeling after sitting through its more than three hours...that the Roman Empire has fallen on you." Numerous reviewers pointed out that Anthony Mann's film was a distortion of Edward Gibbon's work, an accusation that prompted the director to remark, "Now I guarantee you there is not one person that had read Edward Gibbon...From Bosley Crowther on down or up. And for them to start to say: 'This isn't Gibbon' well, this is a load of crap! Because all we were trying to do was dramatized how the Roman Empire fell. Incest, buying an army, destroying the will of the people to speak through the Senate, all these things...were in the film." Nevertheless, The Fall of the Roman Empire was generally overlooked during Oscar® time though it did receive a sole nomination for Best Score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Yet the film certainly had its defenders, particularly in England where the Daily Express called it "an epic to make one cheer rather than cringe" and the critic for the Evening Standard "proclaimed it one of the best all-round epics I have ever seen." And in recent years, the film's reputation continues to grow with director Martin Scorsese among its more famous admirers.Blu-ray Video Quality – ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE’ storms onto the Blu-ray format courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment with an awesome impressive 1080p [Technicolor] encoded image, and also with an equally impressive 2.35:1 [Panavision] aspect ratio. The 1080p image is remarkably sharp with excellent detail on this Region B/2 Blu-ray disc, and there is still a lot of excellent separation of shades, and black levels are strikingly solid, the effect is breath-taking. There is also some wonderful cinematography in this film; especially with a long, continuous and panning shots of all the running battle scenes is totally mesmerising and the clarity even benefits the action scenes. All in all the presentation is totally fantastic. This is a superb effort from Anchor Bay Entertainment that once again proves how fabulous classic films can look in 1080p. Like the best video experiences, ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE’ really transports you to another time; to ancient Rome, to vintage Hollywood. And it makes us appreciate this glorious Blu-ray technology not only for what it can do for the present and future, but also for the past. Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.Blu-ray Audio Quality – The Anchor Bay Entertainment 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound presentation on this Blu-ray disc, is a totally awesome solid one. Surround sounds manage to be in good use a good bit of the time, delivering both ambiance and action. Sometimes they aren't always active, especially in a few spots where we would expect them to be in some scenes. The militaristic, percussion-heavy music of composer Dimitri Tiomkin sounds wonderfully powerful and engaging, and especially with the opening credits. The battle scene sequences, you really feel the impact of the all the fighting that goes on in those scenes and you get some nice effects, as well as chilling ones. This soundtrack is the best I've ever heard with this film, and easily surpasses the totally inferior DVD disc I owned for some time.DVD Special Features and Extras:Special Feature: The Rise and Fall of an Epic Production [2008] [480i] [1.78:1] [29:12] Here we are presented with a great new documentary on the making of the film ‘The Fall Of The Roman Empire,’ and we have contributions from Mel Martin [Author]; Paul G. Nagle [Biographer of Samuel Bronston]; Norma Barzman [Wife of Ben Barzman]; Neal M. Rosendorf, Ph.D. [Historian and Biographer]; Anna Mann [Wife of Anthony Mann]; Nina Mann [Daughter of Anthony Mann]; C.O. "Doc" Erickson [Production Manager] and William Bronston, M.D. [Son of Samuel Bronston]. As we get into this special feature, we get to hear how Anthony Mann was in London and came across a book shop that had the abridged novel of “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” and Anthony Mann immediately contacted Samuel Bronston to inform him that this should be their next project, because the book would inspire to make a fantastic film on the Roman Empire and with the help of famous British thespian actors, it would give an international appeal to the paying public. After they had finished the film ‘EL CID,’ which starred Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren and felt they would be ideal for this Roman epic film, but unfortunately Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren hated and detested the sight of each other, so Charlton Heston turned the part down, but Sophia Loren was totally enthusiastic to sign up for the part in the film. One thing we are told is that Sophia Loren got on so well with Anthony Mann and also loved all the English actors’ accents and especially Sir Alec Guinness. We get to hear some fascinating facts about this Roman epic film, because there were 60,000 extras employed for the film, they employed 350 construction workers, there was 170,000 concrete blocks cast, which resulted in 27 three dimensional structures, 1.6 million feet of tubing was used, which would of measured 320 miles laid end to end, there was also 33,000 gallons of paint used, there was over 350 free standing statues of varies sizes. The tallest structure was the Temple of Jupiter which rose to 650 feet, that sat on a man-made hill, which rose almost a 100 feet in the air and so all in all they built was historical accurate. Although ‘EL CID’ was a box office hit, sadly ‘The Fall Of The Roman Empire’ was a financial headache and cost over $28 million to make and at the time of its release was not a box office hit, but today it has now become a cult classic hit, where everyone appreciates the films artistic merit.Special Feature: Dimitri Tiomkin: Scoring The Roman Empire [2008] [480i] [1.78:1] [20:03] This special feature goes into magnificent depth on the subtleties of Dimitri Tiomkin composer's work on the Roman epic film, and here we have contributions from John Burlingame [Film Music Historian]; Olivia Tiomkin-Douglas [Widow of Dimitri Tiomkin]; Mel Martin [Author] and John Mauceri [Conductor]. We get to hear that Dimitri Tiomkin was not happy with his work on ‘EL CID’ as he felt the sound effects drowned out his music score, so with the collaboration with Samuel Bronston, he wanted Dimitri Tiomkin film score to be heard and was given total freedom. Most of the recordings were done in London and Samuel Bronston spent a lot of money on the film score, which in turn brought out the best in Dimitri Tiomkin music score for this Roman epic film. At the start of the film you get the dramatic organ music and also at the end of the film, well it was done by the organ in Westminster Hall in London. But of course with this special feature on Dimitri Tiomkin, everyone praises this brilliant film composer, because with all the films he has composed for, he always brings out the best with every film in such a dramatic way.Special Feature: Julius Caesar: The Rise of the Roman Empire [1964] [480i] [1.33:1] [21:38] On the 15th March, 44 B.C., a man was murdered on the floor of the Roman Senate and among the assassins, could be counted more friends than his enemies, but most of all he was loved, he was hated, but most of all he was feared. Here we have a dramatized story of Julius Caesar's rise to power, explaining the factors that enabled him to transform a city-republic into a world empire. Discusses the personal qualities of Julius Caesar in relation to the political, economic, and social conditions that existed in Rome in the last century before the birth of Christ. The film was produced by Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc. It was in collaboration with John W. Eadie, Ph.D. [University of Michigan]. But most importantly it was produced in cooperation with The Samuel Bronston Production in relation with the film ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.’ Directed and Produced by William Deneen. Music was composed by Fred Jocobs.Special Feature: Rome in Madrid [1964] [480i] [1.37:1] [22:14] With this full-colour 1964 promotional film, that is narrated by James Mason. A cut above the usual style of documentary and the film gives us glimpses of the massive sets being built, as well as the production's stables and arsenal. We see the arrival of Sophie Loren in Madrid. You see costume and makeup screen tests for Sir Alec Guinness, Christopher Plummer, Stephen Boyd, James Mason, and Omar Sharif. Sir Alec Guinness and Christopher Plummer are viewed in a staged chess match; and we get a comparison of the standing Roman ruins, artist's rendering of the buildings, and the finished set. This was a Globe Video Film Production.Special Feature: Hollywood vs. History [2008] [480i] [1.78:1] [9:45] Here we get contributions from the experts Dr. Neal M. Rosendorf, Ph.D. [Historian and Biographer]; Dr. Peter Heather [King's College London]; Dr. Ronald Mellor [Professor of Roman History at the UCLA]; Norma Barzman [Wife of Ben Barzman] and Mel Martin [Author]. They all look at the parts of the Roman Epic film that accurately represent the reality of the situations and characters as well as which elements take liberties. We get to find out about the real facts versus fiction aspect of Hollywood’s impression of the Roman Empire in this special feature. The all say they were very impressed with the film set in Madrid, and also comparing the film's script to what's historically known. But one passing thought from Mel Martin, is that the film is not 100% accurate, but the film has to look much more spectacular, otherwise it would be totally boring for the general paying public.Special Feature: Claudius: Boy Of Ancient Rome [1964] [480i] [1.37:1] [16:08] Once again we have another presentation film from the people at Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc. A dramatisation of a Roman boy's friendship with a slave in his father's household. It depicts, through the young boys' experiences and activities, the way of life and customs of ancient Rome. Once again William Deneen utilises the sets from Samuel Bronston's epic 'The Fall of the Roman Empire.' This 'Claudius' was actually one of two released concurrently by the Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc. It was in collaboration with John W. Eadie, Ph.D. [University of Michigan]. But most importantly it was produced in cooperation with The Samuel Bronston Production in relation with the film ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.’ Directed and Produced by William Deneen. Music was composed by Fred Jocobs.Special Feature: Life in Ancient Rome [1964] [480i] [1.33:1] [15:32] Here we have commentator William Deneen gives us a running commentary, especially describing that in the year 106 A.D. during the reign of the Emperor Trajan, the power of Rome extended throughout most of the known world. The new government was strong enough to maintain world peace for more than two centuries. This film describes the life in Rome during this time. We also get to see the sight in Madrid informing us about the different structure designs of the building. The film was produced by Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc. It was in collaboration with John W. Eadie, Ph.D. [University of Michigan]. But most importantly it was produced in cooperation with The Samuel Bronston Production in relation with the film ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.’ Directed and Produced by William Deneen. Music was composed by Fred Jocobs.Special Feature: The Rise and Fall of an Empire [2008] [480i] [1.78:1] [10:58] At the start of this documentary, we get a sign saying, Henry David Thoreau says, “Rome imposes her story still upon this late generation.” Once again we get contributions from Dr. Peter Heather [Professor of Medieval History] and Dr. Ronald Mellor [Professor of Roman History at the UCLA]. Here we get informed more known facts about Rome, and also the unencumbered aspect view in Hollywood. We also hear about the historic structure of the Roman Empire, from its great heights of being a super power, but we also hear the reason for the collapse of the Roman Empire, but most of all many scholars have theorised the collapse of the Roman Empire, but they cannot give a direct precise answer why the collapse of the Roman Empire happened.Special Feature: Bill Deneen New Intro [1964] [480i] [1.78:1] [3:28] Here we get to see a much older Bill Deneen [Director and Producer] who was the head of the Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc. Bill Deneen talks about how he was able to make his Encyclopaedia Britannic Films about the Roman Empire in conjunction with the film ‘The Fall Of The Roman Empire,’ especially being able to use the Madrid film set after the film was finished. The situation arose when Bill Deneen contacted Samuel Bronson and asked if could use the film set and without any hesitation Samuel Bronson gave Bill Deneen the green light and was very honoured that someone wanted to use the film set in Madrid. When Bill Deneen finally visited the Roman film set, he was totally overwhelmed by what he encountered when he finally walked onto the film set.Theatrical Trailer [1964] [480i [1.37:1] [4:02] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘The Fall Of The Roman Empire.’ But for some unknown reason it is being brought to you by The Rank Organisation and being presented on the DVD disc, the quality is totally atrocious.Finally, on the purely image level, there are some impressive scenes, such as one of a parade of chariots arriving at a northern fortress in the snow, and another of the funeral of Marcus Aurelius. This has the grandeur of ancient ritual, with the bier of the dead emperor carried in a torchlight procession through the swirling snow. There is also something very commanding about Dmitri Tiomkin's musical score. Largely accurate in historical terms, thanks to a wordy but intelligent script by Philip Yordan who was a master of the epic style, it is surprisingly restrained, both in terms of action and acting. But the atmosphere is consistently convincing: darkness holds sway on the fringes of the Empire, where the armies are struggling to repel the invading hordes, while Rome is presented as a magnificent but decadent monument to the unimaginative pragmatism of the Roman mind. But overall it has fantastic awesome terrific sets, and again a stirring music score by Dimitri Tiomkin and the overall quality of the production values manage to counteract the film's length. All in all ‘THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE’ is a really wonderful old-fashioned, widescreen, 172 minutes epic, shot in glorious Technicolor and Anthony Mann’s film is a feast for the eyes and they certainly do not make films like this classic look at the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film FanLe Cinema ParadisoUnited Kingdom

très bon film a cette époque il étais très fort pour des mise en saine dans ce type de film limage remastérise de très bonne qualité surtout en blu ray quelle plaisirs de voir des chez d’œuvre la répartition des cette splendeur des film a revoir est a revoir merci a amazon comme il ce dois de l’Eure qualité expédition bien emballe reçu très vite je recommande ce film a tout ce qui sons est qui aime cet film

Both the new FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE Blu-ray from Anchor Bay and the previous Koch version from Germany use the Weintraub/Miriam Collection restoration elements. The Koch Germany release is complete, while the new Anchor Bay drops the roadshow overture, intermission and exit music (as well as a commentary track in the special features). The mastering of the UK release (as with EL CID) is again warmer (richer reds); the Koch version gives the Roman cloaks an orange hue and the film a more golden aura (perhaps a minor question of accuracy). The missing portions on the UK version should disqualify it for purists, but this general-release cut is still a major improvement over the dvd version. Both are satisfying presentations with some compromises. The elements for FALL appear in better shape than those for EL CID, but still display softness in some scenes. Filtering has definitely been done to both blu-rays. The DTS-HD soundtracks on the Anchor Bay and Koch sound identical. FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE still deserves to be rediscovered in high-definition, inspite of marginal mastering flaws of less-than-stellar restorations; and the bigger the screen, the more pleasurable the experience.

This is a truly great & magnificent historical film epic noted mainly for its magnificent sets,costumes,cinematography & for being heavily criticized (especially in USA) for the performances of most of its actors & its overall sluggish plot. The film was an ENORMOUS FLOP in USA (Paramount's biggest flop of 1964 and one of their biggest flops ever) but a BIG SUCCESS in EUROPE (especially in U.K. as the Rank Organisation of Great Britain had a substantial financial investment in the movie) & in other parts of the world. It ruined its producer's (Samuel Bronston) Spanish film empire mainly due to the disastrous USA release (as expensive movie epics made in 1960's derived most of their profits in the USA market and most of Bronston's financial backers were from USA). This film has been dubbed the film that caused the fall of the roman epic (though the 1963 "Cleopatra" with Liz Taylor also has to wear some of the blame for this).Trying to reproduce another huge "Ben Hur"-style mega hit producer Samuel Bronston wanted Charlton Heston to re-team with Sophia Loren (as a year earlier EL CID had been a HUGE hit for him) but Heston, initially having agreed to do the film, eventually opted out even while the film's huge forum sets had just started construction (presumably because Heston DID NOT WANT TO MAKE ANOTHER Ben Hur. There's also the apparent fact that Sophia Loren & Charlton Heston privately HATED EACH OTHER whilst working on "EL CID" (it's also been suggested that Sophia Loren got paid MORE THAN HESTON for this film which obviously soured Heston's relationship with Loren in this film). Heston liked the plot of "55 Days at Peking" better & upon learning that Sophia Loren WOULD NOT BE HIS LEADING LADY in the Peking film quickly opted for "55 Days at Peking" over "The Fall of the Roman Empire". Bronston, ever so willing to accomodate "EL CID/BEN HUR" Heston as his favourite film star & also hopefully achieve the same blockbuster success as both "BEN-HUR" & "EL CID" had been with this new Peking film, immediately ordered the preliminary work for the forum set for "Fall" to be torn down and work to begin on the Peking city set for "55 Days at Peking" to replace it. Poor Charlton Heston was to learn all too quickly that Ava Gardner, who had been hired as his leading lady for "55 Days at Peking" was a lot more trouble (constantly drunk, arguing with everyone and always late for her scenes) than Sophia Loren had ever been. It got so bad that the producers decided to fire Ava Gardner half way through and kill off her character. Which is why Heston's character rides off into the sunset at the end of the movie with a chinese girl he has just adopted rather than his Ava Gardner love interest.Lining up "The Fall of the Roman Empire" as the next film after "55 Days at Peking" Bronston reportedly asked Kirk Douglas (of "Spartacus" fame) to do the Livius role for "Fall" after Heston's refusal (for $1.5 million USA being the equivalent of $7 million USA now according to Kirk Douglas in his book "The Ragman's Son" which was twice the amount Heston would have received for the role) whilst "55 Days at Peking" was still shooting. But he declined the role (apparently because he didn't like the script & the character of Livius and doing another Roman epic--apparently the same reasons as Heston had expressed). Even though Kirk Douglas had fired director Anthony Mann from directing his "Spartacus" film 3 years earlier Kirk Douglas and Anthony Mann were still friendly & Kirk Douglas later appeared in Mann's next film "The Heroes of Telemark" (1965) with Richard Harris (who coincidentally was fired from "Fall" by director Anthony Mann and later played emperor Marcus Aurelius in "Gladiator"). So next choice for the role of Livius was Stephen Boyd (again the Ben Hur influence as Boyd had played the villain Messala in Ben Hur) who was hired as the male lead actor (apparently because he fitted the costumes and had some experience in roman epics--Ben Hur & the original 1961 British based version of "Cleopatra" where he was cast as Marc Anthony opposite Liz Taylor's Cleopatra).Why the obsession with "Ben_Hur"? Well the 1959 production of "Ben-Hur" had cost $16 million USA and had grossed $145 million USA--an absolute mega hit (saving an almost bankrupt MGM at that time) and being the equivalent of earning at least $1.45 billion USA today (source: IMDB). Obviously for most producers following "Ben-Hur"'s success this was the holy grail of achievement in historical epics.The original plan was for Heston & Loren to each receive $750,000 for their roles (the same as in "EL CID" although there is a rumour that Sophia Loren actually was paid more than Charlton Heston on "EL CID" which would account for Heston's dislike of Loren on that film). But Stephen Boyd worked cheaper at $500,000 per film than Heston did at $750,000 per film. Thus Sophia Loren's salary suddenly increased from $750,000 to $1 million (Loren was the second actress after Liz Taylor in 1963's Cleopatra to get a $1 million fee) and she also got top billing over Boyd in this film (source: Sophia Loren autobiography). Stephen Boyd appears to be the loser here as Sophia Loren received twice as much as Stephen Boyd's fee. Which is the main reason she did the role as $USA 1 million in 1963 was the equivalent of approx. $USA 10 million now and she could brag that she was the SECOND ACTRESS (after Liz Taylor) TO BE PAID A MILLION DOLLAR FEE for a film. Boyd most probably took the lower salary & second billing to Sophia Loren as he'd scored a coup by managing to replace Charlton Heston as the lead male star in a roman epic instead of him doing another supporting character to Heston (like Messala in "Ben-Hur"). Also Boyd's previous film (the MGM musical "Jumbo" with Doris Day) was a flop. Making another historical roman epic film like the recent, hugely successful "Ben-Hur" must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Also Bronston's recent 1961 "King of Kings" biblical epic for MGM (another roman-themed biblical epic & MGM's semi-sequel to "Ben-Hur") had been a reasonable box office success so there was every reason to believe in 1963, when "FALL" was filmed, that another roman epic that would be "bigger than Ben-Hur" would be extremely successful. Interestingly Stephen Boyd was originally cast as Marc Anthony opposite Liz Taylor's Cleopatra (with Peter Finch as Julius Caesar) in the first version of "Cleopatra" filmed in London in 1961 but this production was abandoned due to Liz Taylor's near terminal illness in 1961 (filming scenes of "sunny Rome" in a frigid British winter). So Boyd WAS HIGHLY REGARDED as a leading actor at the time.Drawing heavily upon "Ben-Hur" meant a chariot race & Fall has an exciting one in a forest (with Boyd changing roles from "Ben-Hur" bad guy to the good guy charioteer this time). There's also the "Ben-Hur" boyhood friends becoming adult enemies plot influence and the thinly veiled suggestion that Livius and Commodus have had some sort of previous sexual activity between themselves as they drink from each other's wine skins with wine spurting into each other's mouth from the wine skins (as with Ben Hur & Messala drinking a welcome toast to each other from each other's wine cup). Christopher Plummer, in his autobiography, states that famous novelist & media personality Gore Vidal was a constant visitor to Fall's film sets in both Spain and ROME, Italy. YES, PART OF THIS FILM WAS FILMED IN ROME, ITALY (source: Cinecitta Studios website for 1963). Gore Vidal was the screenwriter for the first half of the 1959 "Ben-Hur" film and responsible for the hinted at, previously secret, gay relationship plot device between Ben Hur and Messala. Could he have whispered into the ears of "The Fall of the Roman Empire"'s screenwriters to include this previous homosexual relationship plot devise into "Fall's" script? (Gore Vidal himself was gay.) Continuing the "Ben-Hur" influence was the fact that "Fall" was filmed in the same 70mm format (MGM Camera 65/Ultra Panavision) as "Ben Hur". All of Bronston's other epics (apart from "The Fall of the Roman Empire") were all filmed in 35mm Super Technirama and then blown up to 70mm---only "The Fall of the Roman Empire" was actually filmed in 70mm and strangely is only one of two Ultra Panavision films NOT EXHIBITED IN CINERAMA ("The Mutiny on the Bounty" being the other one). As well, the stunts and action scenes were mostly directed by Yakima Canutt of "Ben-Hur" chariot race fame but Andrew Marton, also of "Ben-Hur" chariot race fame, was called in late in the production to direct the barbarians in the forest battle sequence near the film's beginning.Alas, "Fall" was made 3 to 4 years too late (as historical epics were out of vogue in 1964 & thereafter until "Gladiator" in 2000) but had it been made a year after "Ben-Hur" and the same year as "Spartacus" (in 1960) it may well have succeeded. Some people claim that Liz Taylor's "Cleopatra" a year earlier in 1963 ruined the market for historical epics with its hugely overblown advertising campaign (absolutely necessary as Cleopatra's budget had doubled, then tripled, then quadrupled and is STILL THE MOST EXPENSIVE MOVIE EVER MADE after adjusting for inflation) plus its extremely long & tedious more than 4 hour running time ruining any appreciation of its more spectacular sequences. Thus "The Fall of the Roman Empire" the following year (1964) was an obvious target (mainly by USA critics) for allegations of deja-vu & the familiar old style Roman epic plot criticisms (eg. huge cast of thousands in gigantic sets, another mad emperor, everybody spotlessly attired in the latest ancient roman fashions whilst living in seemingly newly-built houses and roaming around brand-spanking new temples & palaces with no hint of a "lived-in" look and stars fighting each other with not a hair out of place even in battle scenes). Movie audiences in 1963/64 were much more receptive to James Bond-type spy films, lavish musicals like "My Fair Lady" & "Mary Poppins" plus zany English pop groups like the Beatles nonsense style films ("A Hard Day's Night") as well as english comedies (like "The Pink Panther" series with Peter Sellers) & english culture ("Tom Jones"). Also the so-called "sexual revolution" began about 1963 onwards. A total change of style in audience appreciation seemed to occur in 1963-1964.However where "Fall" differs from "Ben-Hur" is in its secular (ie. non-religious) plot, its magnificent sets & costumes (outdoing any of its predecessors including "Ben-Hur"--apart from the "Ben-Hur" chariot race sequence which is still truly magnificent--the sets for "The Fall of the Roman Empire" were all actual 3 dimensional buildings with roofs which allowed better & more intricate camera angles--not just facades or frontages with scaffolding at the back) and its extensive use of spectacular outdoor locations (much more so than "Ben-Hur") such as the forests/snow country sequences near the film's beginning & the desert battle of the 4 armies sequence in the middle of the film (this sequence used approximately 8,000 to 10,000 extras portraying the soldiers--most of them from General Franco's Spanish army). Integrating his characters into actual, very spectacular locations was one of the main features of director Anthony Mann's style."The Fall of the Roman Empire" has an interesting plot for some viewers that's historically accurate to a point & then diverges into a Hollywood "invent & destroy" scripting technique just as "Gladiator" (and countless other Hollywood-style epics such as "The Egyptian") did. This is where fictional characters are interwoven with historical characters (to "heighten" the drama) & history is "interpreted" (i.e. distorted) but by film's end these fictional characters are either killed off or fade into the background so as not to disturb historical fact too much. No-one can absolutely say that people such as these fictional characters did not exist but also there is obviously no historical evidence to prove their existence. Thus fictional characters are invented (to heighten the drama) and then eventually removed or fade into the background. "Fall"'s plot moves gracefully through its storyline (unlike "Gladiator"'s more rapid plot development) given that the era in which it was made (late 1950's to mid 1960's) called for an "epic" running time (3 hours plus) to match its epic size. This is probably why Gladiator is much more popular with younger audiences. Some people (usually younger viewers) think Fall far too slow & others (usually older viewers) appreciate the gradual pace of its story. Some people criticize the sudden action set pieces (eg. the chariot race) interrupting the intellectual aspects of the plot while others criticize the lack of enough action sequences and too much talk. As someone has said "the curate's egg", good in parts. In trying to please everybody the film-makers may have pleased far fewer viewers than expected.Most if not all Hollywood made or financed epics are historically inaccurate & have many invented scenes as in the Kirk Douglas 1960 version of "Spartacus" where the last 30 minutes was a scriptwriter's invention (the real Spartacus is believed to have died during the final battle so there was probably no "I am Spartacus" defiance from his surviving troops or fight to the death/crucifixion outside the gates of Rome for Spartacus & Antoninus (played by Kirk Douglas & Tony Curtis respectively). Fall also has a few historical inaccuracies (as does Gladiator which seemed to borrow most of these historical inaccuracies from Fall's plot) of which the final duel to the death is the most blatant inaccuracy. However sometimes these scenes are so exciting and indeed moving one wishes that this is the way history should have been. Most people are still moved by the "I am Spartacus" defiance of Spartacus's troops against the Romans and Spartacus dying on the cross---neither of which probably actually happened in reality. Sometimes it is the feel & spirit of the era depicted that is more important than strict historical accuracy. These are extremely expensive films to produce so must appeal to a huge general audience to recoup their costs. Going for total historical accuracy over an exciting, interesting plot may only gain you an audience of history professors & their students rather than a huge, general audience. However GROSS breaches of historical accuracy or GROSS diversions from the source material (as the elimination of the gods in "Troy") are very annoying.By the way the forum set in this film which was the biggest of several sets built for the film (the main Forum set was demolished soon after filming even though some remaining parts of other sets were used in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" a year later in 1964---these remaining parts of other smaller sets were apparently muddied up to look lived-in for the latter film) still holds the record for the biggest "purpose-built" exterior film set. The forum set was not used for any other films (like "AD", "Augustus" or "Rome") and was demolished soon after filming. Apparently producer Samuel Bronston did not want any future, lesser production to use his magnificent forum set so he unwisely had it demolished. Imagine the revenue to be derived even today from such sets in a movie theme park. The sets for the city of Troy in 2004's "Troy" (which are bigger in area than "FALL"'s forum set) embellished an existing 16th century fortress in Malta so were not "purpose-built" (i.e. built from scratch especially for the production).A sadly underrated & magnificent achievement in historical film epics & everyone involved with the film should feel justly proud of their involvement with this film and the excellence of their achievement. This film is much more appreciated now than when it was first released.Finally, where is the USA BlueRay version of this film, "El Cid" & "55 Days at Peking"? "King of Kings" and, indeed, "John Paul Jones" (from a different distributor) is now available. They would be simply magnificent in either blueray or high definition disc versions. I am sure that tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of eager film fans (rather than just a few die-hard fans of either film) would buy such a high quality blueray disc.POST SCRIPT: It's now 2013 and there are blue ray versions of this film (using the same Weinsten dvd version and exactly the same extras including specially made documentaries as in the Weinstein dvd version) available in Germany, France, Spain and Great Britain. ALL of these versions HAVE STILL OMITTED the "Trilemma" 90 second sequence which IS AVAILABLE to the Weinstein organization and could easily be inserted into the current version. The Weinstein organization have still not released a blue ray version of this film in USA. Maybe the idea of releasing special films in special releases under the name of their mother Miriam has not turned out exactly as expected but I think the Weinstein organization owes it to their loyal fan base (who actually pay money to buy these products and fully appreciate the Weinstein organisation making these films available again on disc) to at least release a version of this film with THE MISSING "Trilemma" 90 second sequence INCLUDED & hopefully a blue ray version. After all they've licensed their version of this film for blue ray release in Germany, France, Spain & Great Britain so its not as if the concept is unknown to them.If they could also interview Sophia Loren, Christopher Plummer and Omar Sharif (the last surviving actors in this film--once they pass away it's a VITAL OPPORTUNITY MISSED) about their insights into this film that would be a huge bonus and an excellent selling point for a blue ray release (along with the "Trilemma" sequence). Any other missing scenes could also be included as just a special section of "missing scenes" & would add enough extras to justify another purchase of this film in the blue ray format. I'm sure it would be very successful as the "ultimate edition". I'm also sure that if they did at least this much their mother Miriam would be truly proud of them. However if they've gone cold on the idea of releasing these films themselves maybe they could sell the rights to Criterion who've released an excellent ultimate version of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" or Time Warner who have made an absolutely excellent job of enhancing Bronston's "King of Kings" on blue ray disc into a film that looks like it was made this year (and not 50 years ago). The same holds true for Time-Warner's release of the ultimate edition of "Ben Hur" in blue ray with a frame by frame enhancement of the original film negative in it's original format and screen ratio (Camera 65/Ultra Panavision in 2.75:1 ratio and not 2.35:1). Again it looks like a new film and not one made 55 years ago.EXTRA POST SCRIPT: It's now 2015 and still no sign of a blue ray version of "Fall" or "El-Cid" for the USA market. Also no sign of "55 Days at Peking" on either dvd or blue ray in USA apart from OK imported versions plus excellent UK & European blue ray versions. The Weinsteins seem to be doing what Disney did for nearly 10 years--just sit on these titles without ever releasing them. As stated earlier if they've got cold feet with their "Miriam Collection" dvd's and bluerays maybe they should consider selling their rights to Time/Warner who actually do release the films on dvd & blueray that they have the rights to. After all "if it's too hot in the kitchen then get out of the kitchen"--according to President Eisenhower.