159 Films & TV Shows Set In Italy During Ancient History
-
Cajus Julius Caesar
🇮🇹 Italy The 1st Century BCA colossal epic film like this that tries to depict the life and glory of Julius Caesar, must have a variety of scenery appropriate to the film's hero. This includes the Senate and its conspirators..or .. strange places beyond Rome full of barbarians that must fall under the Rome yoke. Let's not forget the sequences depicting the masses mentioned before.. or.. the human side of Caesar and his troublesome relationship with his son Brutus.
-
The Sign of the Cross
🇮🇹 Italy The 1st CenturyIn 64 A.D., Marcus Superbus is Prefect of Rome. When the Emperor Nero decides to renew persecution of the Christians, Marcus opposes him, fearing for the safety of Mercia, the Christian woman whom he loves. Through the machinations of the Empress Poppaea and other women at court, Tigellinus, Nero's agent in the war against the Christians, convinces Nero to have Mercia arrested. Marcus appeals to the emperor for mercy, but is told that she can be saved only by renouncing Christianity. Waiting to enter the arena to be killed, Mercia steadfastly refuses to reject her religion, despite Marcus' pleas. Finally, Marcus is converted by her and they enter the arena to face death together.
-
Quo Vadis?
🇮🇹 Italy The 1st Century"Quo Vadis?" was a landmark in early Italian historical epic films, and certainly Enrico Guazzoni’s grand scale masterpiece laid the foundations for what genuine colossal Italian spectacles should be. It had a great deal of influence on Giovanni Pastrone’s "Cabiria" (1914) and D.W. Griffith’s "Intolerance" (1916).
-
The Last Days of Pompeii
🇮🇹 Italy The 1st Century79 AD. In the city of Pompeii the young Glaucus loves beautiful Jone, although he's courted by Giulia and secretly loved by his blind slave Nidia. One day Glaucus is wrongly accused of murder by a priest of Isis, Arbace, who wants to marry Jone and please Giulia. Glauco is condemned to be devoured by lions in the arena of the city, on that very day the erupting Vesuvius. Jone ovvero gli ultimi giorni di Pompei (1913) was one of two major Italian productions of The Last Days of Pompeii done in 1913, and not to be confused by the more famous Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei (1913).
-
Agrippina
🇮🇹 Italy Ancient HistoryIn "Agrippina" (1910), Herr Guazzoni recreates the particular and troublesome relationship between Frau Agrippina, the second wife of the Emperor Claudius, and her son Nero. Such family troubles of course were not confined to Imperial Rome since family feuds were customary in German aristocratic circles as well. However even though mother figures in Germany are strong it is true that aristocratic mammas preferred going to the opera rather than fretting over little troubles with their sons.
-
Humanity Through the Ages
🇮🇹 Italy The 1st CenturyAn episodic narrative displaying examples of humankind's brutality, from the story of Cain and Abel through the Hague Convention of 1907.
-
Ben Hur
🇮🇱 Israel 🇮🇹 Italy Ancient HistoryThe first adaptation of Lew Wallace's novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
-
Shanti Sandesham
🇮🇱 Israel 🇵🇸 Palestine 🇮🇹 Italy Ancient HistoryIndian version of the Jesus story. Following Jesus' birth he performs many miracles and gathers a band of followers. He runs into trouble with the authorities and the Romans execute him. He rises again and ascends to heaven.