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The Fall Of The Roman Empire (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (The Miriam Collection) Posters
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Rating:  -
"The Fall of the Roman Empire" is interesting as one of the last of the great Roman epics (which is ironic, given its title).
The story has been discussed repeatedly, but there are a few holes in the story. We aren't exactly sure how James Mason's character (the Greek philosopher) rises to prominence with Flavius (Stephen Boyd), or how Flavius gains such favor with Marcus Aurelius (a very sympathetic Alec Guiness, who is absolutely wonderful), or the bit with Sophia Loren being forced into a loveless marriage, or exactly why Commodus sacks the (at this point) peaceful Barbarian village. Perhaps this is included in the recently-found lost footage that the special features mentions, but was not yet included in this set.
This aside, it is the action, suspense, and spectacular scenery that made this genre of films so successful. The chariot battle in the woods between Flavius and Commodus is particularly exciting. Sophia Loren's tender relationship with her father (Alec Guiness) is particularly touching and the musical score is perfectly fitting. Some fiction mixed with fact as expected (certain major characters aside from the Historical Marcus Aurelius and Commodus are fictional), but it makes you want to read and learn more about the real fall of Rome.
It's not hard to understand why the film flopped in 1964. The film's theme of murderous treachery and absolute power corrupting absolutely is a bit dark for a time when audiences flocked to lighter, escapist fare such as "My Fair Lady," Mary Poppins," and "A Hard Day's Night." By the end of the 1960s and early 70s when certain events in America paralelled the actions of Ancient Rome in the film (needless wars for expansionism, corrupt leadership, and moral decay among the populace-HEY! Sounds like NOW!), it became common to compare the fate of America to the Roman Empire. This movie will really make you think as you watch it and ponder the events of our own time. Let us not let history repeat itself.
Rating: -
For some reason, Amazon lists this as a two-disc set; the UPC matches the three-disc edition.
A truly awesome spectacle that, like "Cleopatra," should be seen for its impressive scale alone. "Empire" is a cinematic marvel which boasts not mere sets, but a virtual Roman city created for the production! Its scope is such that one wishes it was left intact and reused as a theme park (think "FutureWorld" --or maybe not!). Also, those who have grown up on CGI movie armies ought to be knocked out that, at one time, hundreds of real people, all in costume, stood on real ground wielding real prop weapons in choreographed battles. The difference between these shots and the very best of today's computer images is readily apparent and palpable. (And unlike most epics of the time, Director Mann keeps his camera in motion, maximizing the depth of the picture.)
Despite the visual splendor, "Empire" just falls short of being successful. Unlike "Cleopatra," whose failings are more readily apparent, something feels just a little off. The pacing would seem to be the culprit ("Empire" doesn't move along, doesn't have the "snap" of, say, "Ben Hur" or "Spartacus"); perhaps it's that we don't always get the most interesting story elements (whatever those may be). In any case, "The Fall Of The Roman Empire," while not neccesarily a classic, provides a rich and ultimately satisfying movie-going experience.
As far as the overall package goes, this is a really nice set that puts the Weinstein Company in the big leagues with Warner Home Video and TCM.
Rating:  -
In my opinion, Dimitri Tiomkin's musical score for The Fall of The Roman Empire is too modern and not quite appropriate for this epic film. Don't take me wrong, Dimitri Tiomkin is one of my favorite film composers; however, I'm not particularly happy with this film's musical score. Because of its score, I'll have a hard time to watch this film again for a long time. I think when a score is not quite appropriate, the quality of even a good film diminishes greatly. I believe if Miklos Rozsa had scored this film, it would've been a much more watchable film.
Rating: -
This review is from; The Fall Of The Roman Empire (Two-Disc Limited Collector's Edition) (The Miriam Collection)
FIRST OF ALL, THE LIMITED, COLLECTOR'S EDITION ACTUALLY HAS THREE DISCS!
I have been waiting for the new DVD set of "The Fall of the Roman Empire" for a long time ever since I had to put up with the less-than-satisfactory, inexpensive import DVD (which I fed to the lions!) that was the only available DVD of this film prior to the Miriam release. It's a spectacular film about the Roman Empire, but what really makes this film remarkable is the sheer scope about how it was filmed back then. Besides the grade-A cast of stars, it was the magnificent sets, lavish costumes and thousands of extras that contributed to the epic's stature. In the modern age of computer generated graphics and special effects, it's always refreshing to look at classic films that had to do things the "old-fashioned" way.
I like this movie, but the dilemma that came up when I purchased the Miriam DVD set was which one do I buy? After considering the two disc set, I bought the limited collector set with the extra goodies. There was only a $10 difference from the store I bought it from, so it was up to me to see if the difference was worth it. Hard to complain for a measly ten bucks but here it goes. Keep in mind both sets have two identical DVD's but the limited collector set differs in the following;
First of all the limited collector set is packaged in a decent, but modest-sized, cardboard box. The same size box if you own any other Miriam titles such as "El Cid". Thankfully, not an oversized box like the "Bladerunner" briefcase or the "Battlestar Galactica" cylon-head box (which are cool by the way, but awkward). Inside the box are a nice set of six production stills which look like mini lobby cards. The booklet is described as a reproduction of the 1964 program. Its 32 pages are filled with mostly color and some b&w photographs. Text about the film's production are on only about five or six pages so the whole book is pretty much a picture book. The DVD's are packaged in the same, snap-plastic DVD case as the two disc set, but the third disc exclusive to this set is packaged inside. A double disc swinging tray is inserted to hold all three discs. There are three discs even though the DVD's outer-case insert indicates two discs (but the outer box indicates three discs, confusing eh?).
The third disc primarily contains short films produced by the Encyclopedia Britannica in 1964 about the history of Rome. Specifically about 1) Life in Ancient Rome (13 minutes), 2) Julius Caesar: Rise of the Roman Empire (21 minutes) and 3) Claudius: boy of Ancient Rome (16 minutes). There are two brief introductions by the director, Bill Deneen (in modern day) and a vintage introduction (from 1964). Both intros are about three minutes each. The short films are educational in nature and they are filmed on the incredible "Fall of the Roman Empire" sets. None of the feature film actors are in these film shorts. The actors portrayed have some "wooden" performances, but the "mini" films have interesting content complete with informative narration and limited, actor dialogue. Although the acting in these mini films are so so which wasn't the intent of these educational minis, the sets are still wonderful to look at. You have to give Encyclopedia Britannica credit for being able to take advantage of all the props and sets to accomodate their educational and informative tasks in 1964. Overall the Britannica mini-films look like the type of films you might have slept through when you were in high school, but as an adult now they are very interesting to me. Certainly all of the films are short enough to see in a one, short viewing. In fact, I recommend that the third disc is viewed prior to watching the feature film.
In conclusion I recommend the collector set only if you are willing to learn a little more about Rome besides the nice documentaries and behind-the-scenes already included in the two-disc set. It was purely a stroke of genius for the Encyclopedia Britannica to have the incredible resources provided to them by the "Fall of the Roman Empire" film crew at their disposal in 1964. I think it is disappointing that the viewing time on the third disc is only about an hour long, but the mini films are interesting for some of the historical facts dramatized in an educational format that you or others (maybe your kids?) can enjoy again and again in just a short viewing. The physical extras are nice to look at and then stash away, but the third disc has some invaluable information for those that are curious and want some more insights about one of the most fascinating empires of all time.
Rating: -
The Fall of the Roman Empire is everything you'd expect from a film of this type: pretentious dialogue, a bombastic soundtrack, exciting battles on a grand scale, plenty of scenery-chewing performances, and vast sets rendered to historical accuracy. They really don't make films like this anymore and that's a shame because there is something personal and intimate about it despite the epic scale that is missing from the epics of today which rely too much on CGI to do the heavy lifting. Maybe it is the hand-made sets of Anthony Mann's film that give it a more human feel than the often cold, distant feel of computer generated landscapes that dominate the films of today, like 300 (Two-Disc Special Edition).
The first disc features an audio commentary by Bill Bronston, son of the film's producer, and Mel Martin, author of a book about the films of Bronston. Martin claims that no opticals or special effects were used and so all of the sets were real and built to scale. Bronston says that many of the extras were in fact tourists often recruited for a day's work. Naturally, they touch upon the costume and production design and marvel at the scale, pointing out how it was all made from scratch. There are several lulls but considering that the commentary runs for almost three hours Bronston and Martin deliver an engaging and informative commentary.
"Rome in Madrid: 1964 Promo Film" is a fantastic, vintage featurette narrated by James Mason as he takes us through how the film came together. We see how the elaborate sets were constructed. We see the costumes being designed, weapons built, and the film's stars in costume tests. There's even an amusing bit with Guinness and Plummer playing a game of chess between takes. This is a good extra that is much more entertaining than the usual making of featurettes you find on DVDs.
Also included is a vintage trailer for the film from back in the day.
There is a "Stills Galleries" with behind-the-scenes photographs, a collection of lobby cards, and several theatrical posters.
There are "Filmographies" for the cast that is nothing you couldn't find on the Internet Movie Database.
The third disc includes the "Encyclopaedia Britannica: Educational Shorts about the Roman Empire." These are three featurettes that examine the historical fact about the events depicted in the film. There are recreations of Roman History shot on the actual sets of Anthony Mann's film mixed with clips from the film itself. This extra provides a fascinating backstory to what is depicted in the film.
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