A Historian Goes to the Movies: Ancient Rome

Few films do as much to shape the modern movie-going public's notions of ancient Rome as "Quo Vadis"; how this film, released in 1951 by MGM Studios, ushers in the golden age of the so-called "sword-and-sandal" picture.

The 1959 film "Ben-Hur" becomes a cash machine for MGM Studios; the tensions between the Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur and the Roman aristocrat Messala; analyzing the historical accuracies of the film's naval battle and chariot race sequences.

Discovering what makes "Spartacus" something of an oddity; it is a gladiator film with only one scene of combat; its conflicted production; its narrative misrepresents the real-life Spartacus's goals; its role in McCarthy's anti-communist movement.

How the 1963 film "Cleopatra" brings about the destruction of the golden age of epic films set in ancient Rome; how this movie treats the historical accounts of various figures; why its grand costumes and sets still deserve admiration.

The film "The Fall of the Roman Empire" is an unmitigated financial disaster; why some critics and scholars regard this as a sophisticated take on ancient Rome; its connections to 1960s global politics; its reconstruction of the Roman Forum.

Considering the 1976 BBC production of "I, Claudius", which is credited as one of the most influential and memorable portraits of the ancient world ever to appear on the screen; the miniseries creates an intimate look at the reigns of four emperors.