tamarenne

This production could have been great, but too many mistakes were made. It has so much going for it. Alec Guiness as the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, is brilliant in his role. Also honorable mention to James Mason as Timonides and Christopher Plummer a very under-rated Commodus. As far as acting, that is about it.

Also not to be forgotten is the amazing set design and photography, which I think remain unmatched to this day.

On the negative side, a fright wigged Stephen Boyd as Livius practically begs the audience to chuckle. Likewise Sophia Loren, sporting about ten pounds of 1960's Italian Vogue make-up, is wasted. She and Boyd are actors that could, if given proper direction, deliver decent performances. That direction was sadly lacking in this movie. At times, when these two are together, the movie feels like a Barbra Cartland Bodice ripper, with hot declarations of love and long simmering stares at one another.

The director obviously had no idea WHAT he wanted to do with the movie. Most egregiously, the score was absolutely horrendous. That mishmash of genres and boring symphonic melodies clashed with almost every minute of screen time in which they were utilized. A worse example of a score I cannot imagine.

And let us not forget the plot, if it can be described as such. Somehow the meandering, at cross purposes, vague and boring plot managed to stretch 188 minutes into a seeming 188 THOUSAND, waiting in vain for something to actually happen. Nothing really ever does.