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Satisfy Your Obsession With Rome With These Great Movies About Roman History

There is something very fascinating about the Romans and Roman history. We have several recommendations for movies about Roman history that we have all really enjoyed. I think part of the intrigue with Roman history is the fact that the Romans were so successful for so long to just fall apart in a relatively short amount of time. Here on this page, we explore the films we have enjoyed about this most fascinating people and culture.

Several of the movies reviewed on this page were made in the 1960s with more modest sets and costumes and others are made in more recent years. We enjoyed watching all of them and here are the reviews of the movies about Roman history that we have been able to find.

01 Constantine And The Cross

This is the movie that follows Constantine and his rise to power as well as his conflicting thoughts on Christianity. Constantine is the son of one of the caesars under Emperors Maximian and Dioclesian. When his father dies in battle, Constantine is left with a position and many unanswered questions. In his fight to ascend the throne, Constantine meets his mother and learns of her religion. It is then that he starts wondering what the Christians are all about and what they really believe. Rome is practically held under a siege from the bad people within it and Constantine knows that he must take Rome for the good of his people and the empire. Divine assistance is with him when he sees the cross in the sky and marches under a Christian banner on Rome.

02 The Fall of the Roman Empire

This movie was so much fun for me to watch the first time because of all the well-known faces that I knew from other movies seemed to have been all gathered together and put into this movie. It was like watching old friends get together and do something that you never expected. Stephen Boyd, James Mason, Sophia Loren, and Christopher Plummer make this a very fun movie to watch. This is definitely one of our favorite movies about Roman history.

The plot follows Marcus Aurelius' decision to name Livius (Stephen Boyd), a friend that he has taken into his family, as his successor over of his own son, Commodus (Christopher Plummer). Tension begins when Marcus Aurelius is killed and the two young men are left with what they know to be his last wish but are not particularly bound to keep since it was never publicly announced by the dead emperor. Although Commodus is already practically lost to reason from over indulgence in all pleasures, Livius giving him the role of emperor makes him completely drunk on power and unabated pleasures. 

Thrown into the mix is the attempt of the Roman army, headed by Livius and his Greek philosopher friend Timonides (James Mason), to welcome the Germanic barbarian tribes into the empire. Commodus would like nothing better than to keep the Germanic tribes as his slaves and laborers. The situation becomes more and more strained as Commodus' hate of Livius continues to grow and now he will rest at nothing until Livius is dead.

This movie did a really good job of showing how bad things can get when corrupt and spoiled men come to power. It also portrays, in Livius and Timonides, the natural virtues nurtured in the Roman world. Both are patriotic to Rome although they see how she is suffering under the rule of Commodus.

Points to Consider: This movie is a romance, so there are a few passionate kisses. The woman who has an arranged marriage continues to love Livius, which is kind of weird but she never tries to have a relationship with him that is forbidden by her marriage. Commodus indulges in all of his passions. That being said, there is a part when he is drunk and tries to force a woman to drink with him. When she won't, he gives her to Livius saying, "You can have this one. She thinks." That, of course, has implications, but Livius dismisses the woman with no intention of taking up Commodus' offer.

03 Gladiator

Points to Consider: Commodus is crazy. Part of his mental illness is an obsession of finding love. When he gives up on ever getting love from his father, he turns his attention to his sister and insists that she loves him as a husband. There is a kind of immodest scene when he is trying to get her to "love him". There is also a bit of immodesty between two men as well. On another note, Commodus does suffocate his father, which is not graphic, just a gross thought.

04 Friends And Heroes

We really enjoyed watching this cartoon series, big kids and little kids included. This is a series of movies about Roman history that follows some of the most interesting events in the first century, including the destruction of Jerusalem, the governing of places far from Rome like Alexandria, Egypt, and the politics in the very city of Rome. Macky begins by living with his family in Alexandria before moving on to Jerusalem and finally Rome. In all of these places, Macky shares the stories of Jesus and the prophets that he has learned from his Christian upbringing with those around him. 

Read the full Friends and Heroes review here!

05 Fire Over Rome

Fire Over Rome was an interesting movie that covered the story of Nero's fire. It follows Marcus Valerius as he stumbles upon Christianity and seeks to find the truth. He must choose whether he wishes to do what his emperor tells him and persecute the Christians, or do what his heart tells him is right and resist Nero's tyranny.

Despite the interesting subject of the movie, there were a few things that were quite distracting that took away from the movie. In the first place, the movie had been recorded in Italian and was dubbed with English. This made it so that the character's mouths never matched what they were saying. The storyline didn't have very much to it and it ended unsatisfyingly. 

One thing the movie had going for it was their Nero. He looked just like the real guy and was purely evil without showing too much. Ridiculous, selfish and vain. You could totally see him saying, "What an artist dies in me," while he killed himself. This fact in and of itself makes this one of the movies about Roman history that is worth watching.

06 The Story Keepers

07 Quo Vadis

Another one of our top favorite movies about Roman history is the 1951 Quo Vadis starring Robert Taylor as Marcus Vinicius, a Roman tribune who's never known how to curb a vice. Once Marcus meets the Christian political hostage Lygia, he will stop at nothing until she belongs to him. Through a search that takes him through the streets of Rome as well as the catacombs under them, Vinicius realizes that Lygia will never consent to love him until he embraces her Faith. Exciting moments of this romance include Nero's fire and a bull fight in the amphitheater. One element of the film that may be of discomfort to audiences is the scantily dressed Empress Poppaea. Expect for the fact that Vinicius does not get baptized in the film, this is a close retelling of the fantastic novel.

08 The Robe

Marcellus Gallio has a comparatively comfortable life. Smug, daring and even sometimes reckless, his first act back in Rome is to openly challenge the emperor’s son by buying a slave out from under him and publicly humiliating him. This event triggers a ripple effect that changes Marcellus’ life forever.

To punish Marcellus, the emperor’s son, Caligula, sends him to Jerusalem. Here he is placed in charge of the execution of a Jewish “Troublemaker”. At this execution, his love for gambling and always winning does him a wrong turn when he wins the cloak of Our Lord on Calvary Hill. Marcellus is called back to Rome and it is quickly understood that something has changed about this once so confident and bold man. Now he is worn down and deranged from the guilt that has haunted him since the execution.

But the emperor has a solution: find the cause of Marcellus’ illness, the robe which was taken by Marcellus’ slave, and destroy it. What Marcellus is not prepared for is the compassion and generosity he is about to experience when he goes into the Christian circles, compassion so strong that it heals his suffering mind and converts his pagan soul. Trouble brews, however, when the emperor’s jealous son succeeds him and is ready to crush Marcellus and all the Christians once and for all.

A very interesting concept, much like Risen, but The Robe definitely had a stronger storyline. The performances were all pretty good. We generally felt like Richard Burton’s role as Marcellus was one of his best performances! Caligula was just what one would expect with a power drunk and sleazy emperor during the decline of the empire. And the portrayal of Christianity was very good! All the characters were real and strongly formed.

Points to Consider: There was nothing explicitly immodest about this film but there was a slave market with the slave drivers showing off the bodies of some of the female slaves they were selling. Nothing is shown, but the idea is there as they unwrap blankets from around their bodies as potential buyers walk by. Only their bare shoulders are seen. There were quite a few passionate kisses between the two main characters as well. The romance is sweet however especially as it ends with the woman choosing Marcellus over life and the two are martyred together.

09 Ben-Hur

A classic in our home at Christmas and Easter, Ben-Hur is definitely one of our favorite movies about Roman history! Ben-Hur follows the story of the young Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur and his relationship with an old Roman friend-turned-enemy, Marsala. Judah blames the change in Marsala on the influence of Roman society and hates all of Rome for it. When he encounters Christ at Calvary, he learns that he must forgive if he wishes to obtain eternal life and to live in peace. 

Experience ancient Rome in the classic movie, Ben Hur.

Want More Than Just Movies About Roman History?

The history of Rome is so interesting, especially her declining years. In Becket's page on the subject, he explores what the causes of the fall where and how Rome's fall affected the world.

Currently, we are working on our own movie that explores the Roman Empire. We love sharing behind the scenes and stories from set. Be sure to check out our ultimate behind the scenes page here!

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