Summary
A young commander in the Roman Empire, under the mad poet/emperor Nero, has returned home and fallen fora beautiful Christian slave girl. When she rejects him, he chooses to conquer her through force but wavers as he sees what power does to a man.
My Viewing
This is one of my favorite movies from childhood. I wish I could say that it is a flawless masterpiece but it isn’t. It, like many films of its era, is quite dated and that will disqualify it as a good movie to many a viewer.
Some of the performances are quite over acted and there is more than one moment in which I found myself cringing slightly at the film’s portrayal of women. Still, I can’t help feeling that this is one of those films I would recommend to almost any Christian as a worthy entrant into their movie collection.
My Thoughts
There are three things in this film that I think make it an admirable film; two of them may matter to any viewer or fan of classic film, one of them is more for the Christian viewer.
The first is an outstanding performance by Peter Ustinov as Emperor Nero. In my opinion, it is the definitive power mad dictator performance. I know there are modern examples such as Joaquin Phoenix in “Gladiator” but no one blends up your emotions for a person like Peter Ustinov. You fear the whims of his Nero, dread his art, yet feel almost sorry for him at times, whether it is because he is clearly insane or because he is a tragically lonely figure. He is funny, terrible, and sad, all at the same time. A simply brilliant performance even if it is a little theatrical (because the whole film is.)
The next reason I find myself returning to this film over and over is the scope and use of the special effects sequences. They may pale in comparison to the great “Ben Hur” which came out a few years after and certainly compared to modern action fare but putting yourself in the place of the audience that was contemporary to this film you can’t help but think, ‘how they must have marveled at and been immersed and terrified by the sequence wherein the burning of Rome is depicted. Keep in mind that this was one of the greatest tragedies of the ancient world and it kicked off one of the more brutal attacks against Christian. The juxtaposition of the terrified people trampling each other to squeeze down the narrow streets as the walls of the city fall down on top of their heads and the view from the Palatine Hill where Nero and the Court watch and sing over the raging fire is a harrowing thing. We should never forget what power gone mad is capable of.
The last thing I will mention about this film is more for the Christian audience. It is the redemption story of Marcus Vinicius. The journey he goes on from being a bloodthirsty, Roman culture spreading, Emperor worshiping elite soldier, to a loving ready to give his life defender of truth and justice, but he doesn’t make that journey in the way that many Christian films portray such movements of the heart and mind. There is no one ‘come-to-Jesus’ moment to point to where he converts and becomes a full fledged Christian but the trajectory his actions and thoughts are on seems to point toward that eventually happening, even if it is not depicted in the film. This strikes me as far more realistic than a person who is angrily spouting off about Christians for the whole movie for some reason accepting Christ on his deathbed. It may happen occasionally in real life but far more common is the gradual enlightenment of a person as they encounter a variety of situations and people which impress themselves upon their heart.
I know that is how my own personal growth has been and I suppose that’s what I want from a depiction of a faith journey. Something that rings true. Something that calls up the sometimes fallow lying movements of my heart and stirs them up to remember what it is to grow through slow movements the eye can barely register yet producing great trees of faith.
Review Written By: