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The Fall Of The Roman Empire (Three-Disc Limited Collector's Edition) (The Miriam Collection) | 
 enlarge | Actors: Alec Guinness, Sophia Loren, Peter Damon, Mel Ferrer, Stephen Boyd
Studio: Genius Products (TVN)
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.92
Buy New: $8.97
You Save: $30.95 (78%)
New (50) Used (9) from $7.95
Rating:  84 reviews
Sales Rank: 20445
Format: Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 3
Running Time: 179 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: WEID81226D
UPC: 796019812269
EAN: 0796019812269
ASIN: B0013D8LEA
Theatrical Release Date: 1964
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: new and factory sealed- buy from a 99% seller-
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The second and last of Anthony Mann's historical epics is a smart, handsome spectacle of the decadence, corruption, and intrigue that tears apart the greatest empire the world has seen. The sprawling story spreads itself thin over a number of characters and stories. At the center are handsome but stiff Stephen Boyd as Livius, the loyal soldier and symbolic son of the aging emperor (Alec Guinness), and Christopher Plummer as Commodus, the corrupt heir to the throne--boyhood friends turned enemies when the latter accedes to the throne and sells out the values of his father for greed and hedonistic pleasures. The three-hour running time is filled out with the tales of Sophia Loren (as the beautiful Lucilla in love with Livius but coveted by greedy Commodus) and a gallery of heroes and villains that includes James Mason, Mel Ferrer, Anthony Quayle, John Ireland, Omar Sharif, and Eric Porter. The film is highlighted with spectacular scenes (a grandiose funeral fit for an emperor, brutal battles in the provinces as the barbarians threaten the empire, and a climactic duel to decide the destiny of Rome), which Mann weaves into the shadowy intrigue of the halls of power. Like his previous epic El Cid, The Fall of the Roman Empire remains one of the best of the 1960s epics: well written (and largely historically accurate) with strong performances and a consistently elegant style, but it lacks a central core and the magnetic hero of its superior predecessor. --Sean Axmaker
Product Description
Anthony Mann directs this giant-size, three-hour, sweepingly pictorial entertainment (Daily Variety) that chronicles the peace-loving Caeser, Marcus Aurelius (Guinness) and his corrupt son, Commodus, (Plummer) who covets his throne. Featuring epic battles, breathtaking sets and locations, and a chariot race that easily rivals Ben Hur, Fall of the Roman Empire charts the greedy miscalculations that led to this civilization s collapse at the bloody hands of the Barbarians. DVD Special Features: Reproduction of Original 1964 Souvenir Program. Six Color Production Stills. Bonus Disc featuring A Collection of Historic Films about Ancient Rome, all Shot on the Film's Sets.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 79 more reviews...
 Limited Edition - Fall of the Roman Empire (3 DVD set) January 2, 2009
Aglio (Boston, MA)
Let me first preface my review by stating that the Fall of the Roman Empire is a wonderful movie. The cinematography and art direction are gorgeous. Sophia Loren is radiant. Stephen Boyd properly heroic, in spite of the bad blond hair dye. Alec Guinness, James Mason and Christopher Plummer are extraordinary.
No, my one star is not for the movie. It's for the limited edition 3 DVD set. The extras included can not justify its $39.95 price tag. The "extra" DVD (included only in this set) is nothing more than a collection of Encyclopedia Britannica movie shorts on Ancient Rome.
Do you remember those old (16mm) movies you watched in grammar school ? That's what they are. Those old movies. There's nothing new.
Also included are 4x6 replicas of the movie placards and program.
Are they interesting ? Yes, they are fun to look at. Are they worth the price of $39.95 ?
NO ! That's why the 3 volume limited edition set is a rip off !!!
If you are interested in this movie (and it is a good one), buy the 2 DVD special edition DVD instead. The limited edition set is a waste of money.
 Numbing Spectacle December 28, 2008
Lawrence R. Holben (Mt. Shata, CA United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Anthony Mann apparently never saw a procession he didn't like. This bloated epic draws out everything almost beyond endurance (how many footsoldiers slogging by does one need to see to get the idea that they're on the march?). Battle scenes are incoherent, so we have no idea what's supposed to be happening. The actors were apparently told that the high import of the project required "serious" performances, which translates as awkward, wooden and dead. Christopher Plummer does his best to inject some life into the proceedings, but it's pretty much a lost cause. The sets are stunning (and you get a lot of time to look at them), the costumes avoid most of the pitfalls of the genre (no torpedo bras under the women's tunics), but the musical score (by Dmitri Tomkin) drives the final nail into the coffin -- apparently hoping to stand apart from the simulated antiquity of Rosza's scores for "Quo Vadis," "Ben-Hur" and "King of Kings," Tomkin creates a ponderous classical score that would better suit a film set in Austria in the 1800s. It's intrusive, banal and totally wrong for the period the visuals work so hard to make credible. All in all, a major disappointment. The transfer to DVD is excellent, however, both as to picture and sound.
 History Rolls On November 24, 2008
Hakeem Shabazz (Benicia, CA, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A good video to understand the history of the Roman Empire. This video was instrumental in helping my child understand the history of what happened during this era.
FANTASTIC AND ENJOYABLE TO SEE OVER AND OVER AGAIN I October 18, 2008
Joseph Vassallo (MALTA)
I ALWAYS WANTED TO OWN THIS FILM AND WAS PLEASED TO PURCHES IT AS SOON AS IT CAME AVAILEB
A Great Epic Brings History to Life September 7, 2008
C. Santas (St. Augustine, Florida United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
At times when the epic was often "mere spectacle," this is an attempt of taking history seriously, dissecting the real causes of the decline of the greatest empire in the ancient world. Thouh only semi-historical, with fictional elements and characters, it makes a point, that the fall of a great empire is a result of many causes, but essentially it is a decay from within that brings it about. Rome had five great emperors in succession, from Hadrian to Marcus Aurelius, in a span of two centiries, but subseuently fell into the hands of icompetent egomaniacs whose concept of Rome was based on central power and exploitation, rather than sharing its wealth and privileges with other peoples.
Though slow-paced and lacking in excitement and the dramatic action of some of its predecessors (Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia), this majestic film makes up in depth of concept and characterization. It studiously avoids compromise and makes demands on the viewer to be taken seriously as a historical and moral document that highlights themes like friendship, treachery, ambition and a larger view of humanity under the stress of war. Its characters are fascinating, all of them played by actors lacking superstar status, with the exception of Sophia Loren. Stephen Boyd plays Livius, a powerful and principled general, who was the favorite of Marcus Aurelius to succeed him. In contrast to Ben-Hur, where he plays a villain, here he is shown as a good man, and he succeeds admirably in demonstrating his range. Livius sticks to principles and despises Commodus, an ex-friend, but his is unwilling to betray him when the latter subverts his father's will and takes over a Caesar. Christopher Plummer as Commodus displays his versatility in shifting from the noble aristocrat of The Sound of Music to a despicable egomaniac who single-handedly undoes the life-long struggle of his father to instill the concept of peace and equality among a vast number of national entities that comprise the mosaic of the Empire. Plummer gives us a mad Commoddus with the same gusto that Charles Laughton and Peter Ustinov gave us colorful renditions of Nero. And Sophia Loren, who hardly ever gave a bad performance, is quietly effective as Commodus's sister Lucilla, who is in love with and shares the principles of Livius. And Alec Guinness effectively renders Emepror Aurelius during the latter part of his career.
A forceful movie, with a powerful message, this is a good vehicle for both entertainment and history--carefully avoiding the pitfalls of a history lessson.
An excellent two-disc edition, brilliantly re-mastered, with many extras, this is much worth owning.
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