Fall of the Roman Empire

The success of Anthony Mann's wide-screen epic El Cid (1961) led to this even grander undertaking, one of Hollywood's periodic infatuations with the decadence of Imperial Rome. After murdering his father, Emperor Marcus Aurelius Commodus drifts into a life of wanton depravity as the Gothic hordes gather at the Empire's borders. THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE is a Hollywood spectacular in the grand tradition, but Mann manages to elicit some terrific performances amongst the mob scenes. According to the trailer, the film contains " Not just 3 or 4, but ALL of the known emotions! "