Big Screen Rome
Introduction
Big Screen Rome by Monica Cyrino is a welcome addition to the
literature exploring the significance historical movies. It was written for
express use on university college courses. Seeking to cover the broad range of Roman
epics, from the saintly Quo Vadis in 1951 to the macho Gladiator
in 2000, she details the chosen films thoroughly. The cast and crew are listed,
the ancient background is explored, and then there is a section on the making
of the movie. This is followed by the crucial Themes and Interpretations
section, which sets the film in the context of the time it was made. Each
chapter ends with Core Issues, which are questions formulated for students to
discuss, but also serve as a useful check-list for the general reader.
For the love of God
Cyrino covers three Roman
epics from the 1950s.These films focus on the Christian religion, whilst
showing and condemning the moral corruption of the Romans. They also reflect
society in the 1950s and the tensions of the Cold War.
Quo Vadis (1951)
The original book was
written by Henryk Sienkiewicz in 1896 and became an international bestseller.
The film was directed by Mervyn LeRoy, and stars Robert Taylor and Deborah
Kerr.
It is AD64 and Nero is
emperor. Marcus Vinicius falls in love with royal hostage Lygia who has
converted to Christianity. They cannot reach agreement about the religion,
which asks Marcus to change his life completely. Against the backdrop of the
burning of Rome and the subsequent persecution of the Christians, Lygia and
Marcus eventually find happiness.
Cyrino points out, among
other things, that this film resonates with Cold War rhetoric, but that one
character, Petronius (who has to commit suicide) questions the credibility of
political leaders.
The Robe (1953)
The film was based on the
very popular religious novel published in 1942 by Lloyd C Douglas, who was
Congregational minister. The film was directed by Henry Koster, and stars
Richard Burton and Jean Simmons.
The story begins in AD 32.
Roman tribune Marcellus Gallio excutes Jesus and wins the messiah’s cloak
whilst gambling. He finds that the robe drives him mad and suffers nightmares.
After trying to find a cure elsewhere he finally touches the robe again and is
transformed. Ordered to swear allegiance to emperor, Gallio refuses and along
with his childhood sweetheart, Diana, is sentenced to death.
Once again, the then current
fear of communism is detected. When
Emperor Tiberius commissions Gallio to find the robe and those who believe in
its power, he wants ‘names of all the disciples … Names, Tribune, of all of
them …’ which echoes McCarthy’s question ‘Are you now, or have you ever been, a
member of the Communist party?’
Ben-Hur (1959)
The book, Ben-Hur: a Tale
of Christ, was published in 1880, and was written by General Lew Wallace a
civil war veteran and later governor of the Territory of New Mexico. The film
was directed by William Wyler, and stars Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd.
In AD 26 Messala is posted
to Jerusalem where his friend Judah Ben-Hur is a local aristocrat. Judah is
enslaved after an accident is mistaken for an attempt on the governor’s life.
After saving the life of a Roman noble, he returns to Judaea to find his mother
and sister. A chariot race leads to the death of Messala, and Ben Hur finds his
relatives who are now lepers. When
Christ is crucified, they are cured and Ben Hur is at peace.
Although Cold War fears can
be detected (Messala demands to know the names of Jewish subversives) this film
treats Roman power in a more subtle and thoughtful fashion than previous epics.
I’m Spartacus!
By the 1960s, more secular
concerns are reflected. The changing political climate, with its attendant
political and social consciousness seeps into the storylines. The struggle
between personal freedom and established authority plays out on screen, whilst
it is also happening outside the movie theatre.
Spartacus (1960)
Spartacus was based on Howard Fast’s 1951 novel of the same
name. During his writing career he was blacklisted for having communist
sympathies, and the film aptly continued this link by having a blacklisted
screenplay writer, Dalton Trumbo. The film was directed by Stanley Kubrick, and
stars Kirk Douglas and Jean Simmons.
The film is set during the
slave rebellion of 73-71 BC. A Thracian
slave, Spartacus, is trained to become a gladiator, and falls in love with
Varinia. Spartacus becomes the leader of a major revolt and escapes. He gathers
around him a great following of runaway slaves and they try to escape from
Italy. They are eventually stopped by Crassus after a huge battle. Crassus
tries to find Spartacus amongst the captives, but fails when all of the slaves
in a show of unity declare that they are Spartacus.
With blacklisted writers
Trumbo and Fast both credited, controversy erupted over the release of this
film, but, as if to signal the changing times, newly elected President Kennedy
crossed a picket line to attend a screening in Washington.
Cleopatra (1963)
The film was directed by Joseph
L Mankiewicz, who also co-authored the screen play. It stars Elizabeth Taylor,
Rex Harrison and Richard Burton.
48 BC and Julius Caesar has
defeated Pompey. Cleopatra in Egypt looks to Rome for help in a civil war.
Caesar obliges, and has an affair with Cleopatra who bears him a son. After Caesar is murdered Octavian is
proclaimed Caesar’s heir, but Anthony opposes him. Cleopatra meets Anthony
after he requests supplies from Egypt and they become lovers. Octavian and Anthony forge an alliance, with
Anthony marrying Octavian’s sister. Cleopatra is enraged and commands Anthony
to come to her, and the alliance with Octavian is broken. The fight comes to
Egyptian soil, and when Anthony is wounded in battle he returns to Cleopatra to
die. Cleopatra commits suicide and Octavian is triumphant.
Cleopatra is best known for its scandal and extravagance,
initially causing financial losses, though the film eventually earned back its
costs by the end of the decade. Studio publicity and the press equated actress
Elizabeth Taylor with the character of Cleopatra. This lead to the questioning
of women’s roles in general in the early 1960s, with particular regard to their
sexual freedom.
Comedy Tonight
From the mid-1960s onward
Romans on film were gloriously sent up. In making fun of the epics, the viewer
can re-evaluate their knowledge of the Roman world as presented on screen.
A Funny Thing Happened on
the Way to the Forum (1966)
The tortuously titled A
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum not only cocked a snook at
Roman epics but the film-makers drew on the humour of American Vaudeville, as
well as Roman playwrights Plautus and Terence. It is based on a Broadway
musical of 1962 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and the book by Burt
Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, and which is still staged today. The film was
directed by Richard Lester and stars Zero Mostel and Phil Silvers. It also
inspired the bawdy UK TV comedy series Up Pompeii, starring Frankie
Howard.
Slave Pseudolus is trying to
find a way to obtain his freedom, whilst running rings around his owners. Hero
(son of the house) wants courtesan Philia and enlists Pseudolus’ help. He
decides that they should elope, meanwhile he hears that Miles Gloriosus has
bought the girl and is coming to collect her shortly. The scene is set for a
farcical story of lost children, doddering parents, arrogant soldiers, wily
slaves, chariot chases and very silly songs.
During a period when the US
was fighting in Southeast Asia, the arrogant and self-deluded character of
soldier Miles Gloriosus could be seen as satirising this aspect. Also, though
the film includes the usual references to Roman promiscuousness, it is seen in
a more positive light than before.
Monty Python’s Life of
Brian (1979)
The film was directed by
Terry Jones, and stars the Monty Python team. The film caused a furore amongst
some Christians who thought it blasphemous and it was banned in various places
around the world.
Brian Cohen is not the
messiah, but is a very naughty boy. Brian finds out his father was actually a
Roman centurion so is very dismayed. But that doesn’t stop him from taking part
in anti-Roman activities such as daubing walls with graffito in poor Latin
grammar. Unfortunately, he keeps getting mistaken for the messiah and finally
gets arrested by the Romans. A rowdy crowd pleads for his release, but when the
Romans go to free him, all the prisoners claim to be Brian and they take the
wrong man. Whilst being crucified, he
is advised to look on the bright side of life.
The film’s humour stems from
targeting the human tendency to manipulate spiritual beliefs to fit personal
views, rather than making fun of Christianity itself.
History of the World Part
1: The Roman Empire Sequence (1981)
It was produced, written and
directed by Mel Brooks. It also starred Brooks, along with Gregory Hines. It
directly parodies earlier epics. Also included are deliberately anachronistic
sights, such as relating the forum to a modern shopping mall.
Comicus, the stand-up philosopher,
manages to get a gig at Caesar’s Palace. Nero is having a banquet, and the
Roman commander Marcus Vindictus only has eyes for Nympho. Comicus makes some
rude jokes about fat people which Nero takes exception to, so Comicus is forced
to fight Josephus, but they escape and hide in the empress’s quarters.
Vindictus comes looking for them so they run to the Senate House where the
horse Miracle appears. They escape in a chariot, then board a boat headed for
Judea.
In this film, the lead
character falls on hard times and has to claim ‘Vnemployment Insurance’. The Roman Senate is shown as a group of
uncaring old rich men, and in general the film can be seen as reflecting the
growing consumerism of the late 1970s. It also reflects the era’s more
permissive sensibility, with the inclusion of references to sex and drugs.
A Hero Will Rise
The historical ‘sword and
sandal’ epic was considered more or less dead by the 1980s. But Director Ridley
Scott, in the late 1990s boldly revived it and Gladiator was released
(or should it be unleashed?) in 2000. The film stars Russell Crowe and Joaquin
Phoenix.
AD180: After winning a
battle in Germania, Maximus is congratulated by Marcus Aurelius and asked if he
will be the Emperor’s adopted heir. Commodus, the emperor’s son kills Marcus
and sends Maximus to be executed. Maximus escapes, and tries to save his
family, but fails. Distraught, he is taken by slavers who sell him to a lanista
and is trained to be a gladiator. Angry and bitter, Maximus is an excellent
gladiator and is taken to Rome to fight in the Colosseum. He becomes part of
the plot to overthrow Commodus, who is now a despotic emperor. On briefly
escaping, Maximus is betrayed and caught. He has to fight Commodus in the
arena, but Commodus wounds him beforehand. In the arena, Maximus manages to
defeat Commodus, but falls to ground and dies. Now he is free.
As the Prologue roles, the
audience is informed that Rome is at the ‘height of its power’ and this perhaps
reflects America’s view of itself. The Romans in the film represent
contemporary Americans, and one of the main themes of the film, with its talk
of the return of the republic, is what kind of superpower Rome (=America)
should be.
Conclusion
In watching these films as
well as watching an interpretation of the past, the audience is seeing a
reflection of their own recent history. Cyrino’s Big Screen Rome
elucidates the stories behind the films and is a must-read for historical film
fans.
BIG SCREEN ROME
Monica Silveira Cyrino,
Blackwell Publishing, 2005, £19.99, pb, 274pp,
1405116846
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book.asp?ref=9781405116831
Sandra Garside-Neville is an
archaeologist and regularly writes reviews and articles for the Historical
Novel Society, http://www.tegula.freeserve.co.uk/
Word count: 1997