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Shot in glorious 70mm Ultra Panavision, The Fall Of The Roman Empire, an enormously expensive (for its time) sword and sandal epic whose box-office failure bankrupts flamboyant producer Samuel Bronston, has its splashy world premiere at the Astoria Theatre in London. Written by Ben Barzman, Basilio Franchina and Philip Yordan, and directed by Anthony Mann, the film, set circa 180-192 A.D., is a fictionalized account of the political and social turmoil that engulfs the Roman Empire when progressive emperor Marcus Aurelis is murdered and his mendacious, dissolute son Commodus seizes power. A sprawling, cast-of-thousands spectacle, held together by an intelligent script and a high-end cast that includes Alec Guinness, Stephen Boyd, Christopher Plummer, Sophia Loren and James Mason. Ridley Scott’s CGI-enhanced Gladiator from 2000 covers similar ground.
