Best Movies Set In Ancient Rome

Since the early days of film, the epic battles, turbulent politics, and culture of Ancient Rome have provided filmmakers with sufficient material to produce captivating stories.

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DE EN ES FR IT PT RU

30 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, 1966

In ancient Rome, some neighbors live in three adjacent houses. In the center is the house of Senex, who lives there with wife Domina, son Hero, and several slaves, including head slave Hysterium and the musical’s main character Pseudolus. A slave belonging to Hero, Pseudolus wishes to buy, win, or steal his freedom. One of the neighboring houses is owned by Marcus Lycus, who is a buyer and seller of beautiful women; the other belongs to the ancient Erronius, who is abroad searching for his long-lost children (stolen in infancy by pirates).

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29 Ben-Hur, 2016

A Jewish nobleman, Judah Ben-Hur, and his adopted Roman brother Messala are best friends despite their different origins. Messala enlists in the Roman army and fights in the Roman Empire’s wars in Germany. Ben-Hur also develops feelings for the family slave Esther although their different station in life compels him not to pursue her. But when her father Simonides seeks to marry her off to a Roman, Ben-Hur declares his love for her and takes her as his wife. Three years later, Messala returns as a decorated Roman officer. His return coincides with a rising insurrection by the Zealots, Jews who are opposed to the oppressive nature of Roman rule…

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28 The First King (Il primo re), 2019

Romulus and Remus are 18-year-old shepherds brothers living in peace near the Tiber river. Convinced that he is bigger than gods’ will, Remus believes that he is meant to become king of the city he will found together with his brother. But their tragic destiny is already written. This incredible journey will lead the two brothers to creating one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen.

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27 Nero (Imperium: Nerone), 2004

Lucius Claudius Nero is a young boy when his father, Enobarbus, is assassinated for plotting against the mad Emperor Caligula. His mother, Agrippina, is exiled and the boy sent to live in the country among slaves. There he learns to play music and sing, and grows to love Ecte, a slave girl, but is unable to marry her because of his patrician blood. Nero is recalled to the household of Emperor Claudius, where his mother intrigues to obtain the throne for Nero. Under his mother’s control, Emperor Nero’s idealistic aim to reform Rome is frustrated, and he gradually evolves away from his healthy upbringing and the love of Ecte, becoming enmeshed in palace intrigue and lust, and having both his half-brother and his mother assassinated along the way.

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26 Pompeii 3D (Pompeii), 2014

Set in 79 A.D., POMPEII tells the epic story of Milo, a slave turned invincible gladiator who finds himself in a race against time to save his true love Cassia, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant who has been unwillingly betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts in a torrent of blazing lava, Milo must fight his way out of the arena in order to save his beloved as the once magnificent Pompeii crumbles around him.

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25 Risen, 2015

Follows the epic Biblical story of the Resurrection, as told through the eyes of a non-believer. Clavius, a powerful Roman Military Tribune, and his aide Lucius, are tasked with solving the mystery of what happened to Yahshua in the weeks following the crucifixion, in order to disprove the rumors of a risen Messiah and prevent an uprising in Jerusalem.

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24 The Last Legion, 2006

Circa 460 A.D. Mira was born in a warrior-family in Kerala, India, was well versed in martial arts and self-defense, so much so that she was recruited by the Spanish royalty and re-located to Constantinople. From there she was instructed to assist Roman Commander Aurelius to plan the escape of 12-year old Romulus Augustus Caesar from a prison in Capri after his parents had been killed by the leader of the Alliance in turmoil-stricken Rome that has seen the deaths of five emperors in five years. Mira, Aurelius, and a Priest, Ambrosinius, along with a handful of loyal soldiers were successful in the escape plan and deliver Romulus to Roman Senator Nestor. What the crew do not realize is that their task is not over yet, for Nestor is all set to betray Romulus, leaving them with no alternative but to flee to Britannia, where they will be forced to confront a seemingly invincible Vortygn, whose main aim is to obtain a powerful sword that was meant for defense and defeat, and also ensure the death of Romulus at any and all costs.

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23 Mary Magdalene, 2018

Judea, 33 AD. Mary is a faithful young girl from the village of Magdala near the sea of Galilea. Reluctant to follow the traditions and destiny reserved to women, living only as wife and mother; she wishes to be free. After she rejects the marriage proposal of family friend, Ephraim, her brother Daniel and father Elisha, believing she is possessed by a demon, arrange an exorcism. Elisha consults Jesus, a healer who is earning fame among the local Jewish people with his speeches about a kingdom of peace and love, free of hate, tyranny, oppression, and persecution. Jesus comes to see Mary and shares his gospel. Astonished by Jesus’words, charisma, and personality, Mary decides to follow him despite her family’s strong opposition. She meets several men who also walk with Jesus: Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Judas, who have their personal interests and ideas about Jesus’ words and his revolution. At the same time that Mary feels more passionate about Jesus and his vision of the world and people, Peter develops a progressive resentment of her, believing that her presence among them weakens Jesus and his message; Peter notices that Jesus pays more and more attention to her. When they arrive at Jerusalem, Jesus and his apostles try to transmit the message against Roman Empire and Jews’ authorities, but the events soon turn dramatically against Jesus, and the confrontation between Mary and Peter about Jesus not only changes them both but will change the whole world.

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22 Paul, Apostle of Christ, 2018

Roma, 67 AD. After the great fire that burnt a great part of the city, Emperor Nero points Paul, Jesus’ apostle, as guilty of the fire, arresting him and taking him to Mamertine Prison. There prefect Mauritius struggles between his daughter Caelia, who suffers an unknown disease, and his job as warden of the prison commanded by own Nero, that he is considers as a failure on his military carrier. Despite the risks for the Christians, physician and medicine man Luke arrives Roma from Greek Islands to find Paul, living in the house of Aquila and Priscilla, two former Romans turned in Christians that they use their home as shelter for others Roman Christians to save them from Nero’s soldiers, who kill all Christians they find, torturing and using them as human candles to light Roma’s streets at night.

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21 Quo vadis, 2001

Marcus Vinicius meets Lygia in Rome and falls in love. But she is Christian and doesn’t want anything to do with him. Marcus decides to kidnap her but Ursus, her bodyguard, catches Marcus. After that, Lygia falls in love, but Marcus must go to meet Nero. After the meeting somebody told Marcus that Nero burnt Rome. Marcus decides to go back to Rome and find Lygia.

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20 Centurion, 2009

AD 117. The Roman Empire stretches from Egypt to Spain, and East as far as the Black Sea. But in northern Britain, the relentless onslaught of conquest has ground to a halt in face of the guerrilla tactics of an elusive enemy: the savage and terrifying Picts. Quintus Dias, sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus’ legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the earth and destroy their leader Gorlacon. But when the legion is ambushed on unfamiliar ground, and Virilus taken captive, Quintus faces a desperate struggle to keep his small platoon alive behind enemy lines. Enduring the harsh terrain and evading their remorseless Pict pursuers led by revenge-hungry Pict Warrior Etain, the band of soldiers race to rescue their General and to reach the safety of the Roman frontier.

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19 Imperium: Augustus, 2003

The desperate struggle for power in the world of Ancient Rome is on. Its first emperor, Caesar Augustus faces the many challenges of leadership. On one hand there is his beautiful and beloved daughter Julia who cannot bring herself to accept her destiny and on the other he had his stepson, the unwilling Tiberius who is in the running to be emperor after him. Iullus Antonius, son of Augustus’ enemy Mark Antony, who is in love with Julia is determined to seek revenge for his own father’s death by killing Augustus and save Julia and her sons for the fate of death that will surely be bestowed on them by Augustus’ wife, Livia.

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18 The Robe, 1953

Marcellus is a tribune in the time of Christ. He is in charge of the group that is assigned to crucify Jesus. Drunk, he wins Jesus’ homespun robe after the crucifixion. He is tormented by nightmares and delusions after the event. Hoping to find a way to live with what he has done, and still not believing in Jesus, he returns to Palestine to try to learn what he can of the man he killed.

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17 The Sign of the Cross, 1932

After burning Rome, Emperor Nero decides to blame the Christians, and issues the edict that they are all to be caught and sent to the arena. Two old Christians are caught, and about to be hauled off, when Marcus, the highest military official in Rome, comes upon them. When he sees their stepdaughter Mercia, he instantly falls in love with her and frees them. Marcus pursues Mercia, which gets him into trouble with Emperor for being easy on Christians, and with the Empress, who loves him and is jealous.

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16 Barabbas (Варавва), 2019

The unique view on the well-known story of Christ’s death and resurrection, which we see with the eyes of brigand Barabbas who got away from death on the cross.

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15 The Eagle, 2010

In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca, Marcus sets out across Hadrian’s Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia – to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father’s memory, and retrieve the lost legion’s golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.

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14 The Fall of the Roman Empire, 1964

Intent on securing peace and prosperity throughout the mighty Roman Empire, the wise diplomat, Emperor Marcus Aurelius, calls together the local governors from all over the Empire, after conquering the Germanic tribes. With this in mind, Marcus has decided to turn over his crown and the much-coveted imperial throne to General Livius, instead of choosing his corrupt son and logical successor, Commodus. As a result, high treason and blind ambition lead to the death of Aurelius by poisoning, paving the way for a new era of oppression, endless machinations, and rapid decline. Now, as darkness prevails on the outskirts of the Empire where the Roman legions struggle to subdue the invading hordes, delusional Commodus declares himself a god, and no one is safe; not even Aurelius’ daughter, Lucilla. Can anyone stop the fall of the Roman Empire?

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13 Barabbas, 1961

In times of great upheaval during Passover in early-first-century Jerusalem, the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, finds himself before a pressing dilemma. As part of a tradition, the indecisive ruler offers the agitated crowd the choice to have either Jesus of Nazareth or the murderer, Barabbas, released from Roman custody; but, instead, the people demand the release of the thief. Now, as Jesus takes Barabbas’ place on the cross, an inhumane act of punishment paves the way for an arduous spiritual journey of faith, leading Barabbas to Sicily’s dark sulphur mines, and the blood-soaked soil of Emperor Nero’s Coliseum. Will Jesus’ sacrifice set Barabbas, the slave, free?

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12 Cabiria, 1914

Three centuries before Christus. Young Cabiria is kidnapped by some pirates during one eruption of the Etna. She is sold as a slave in Carthage, and as she is just going to be sacrificed to god Moloch, Cabiria is rescued by both Fulvio Axilla, a Roman noble, and his giant slave Maciste. Maciste is captured just after having confided Cabiria to Sophinisbe’s safe keeping, while Fulvio Axilla manages to escape from Carthage. Ten years went away with Punic wars before he is able to come back to Carthage…

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11 Fellini Satyricon (Fellini – Satyricon), 1969

In ancient Rome, students Encolpio and Ascilto are friends and roommates. That friendship is threatened in their mutual attraction to a young slave boy named Gitone, which serves as the backdrop to other goings-on as they move from situation to situation in the extreme hedonism of the ancient Rome. The situations often place both men in a position of survival as hedonism is prioritized over life.

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10 Julius Caesar, 1953

Brutus, Cassius, and other high-ranking Romans murder Caesar, because they believe his ambition will lead to tyranny. The people of Rome are on their side until Antony, Caesar’s right-hand man, makes a moving speech. The conspirators are driven from Rome, and two armies are formed: one side following the conspirators; the other, Antony. Antony has the superior force, and surrounds Brutus and Cassius, but they kill themselves to avoid capture.

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9 The Last Temptation of Christ, 1988

The carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth, tormented by the temptations of demons, the guilt of making crosses for the Romans, pity for men and the world, and the constant call of God, sets out to find what God wills for Him. But as His mission nears fulfillment, He must face the greatest temptation; the normal life of a good man. Based, not on the Gospels, but on Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel of the same name.

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8 Titus, 1999

War begets revenge. Victorious General Titus Andronicus returns to Rome with hostages: Tamora, Queen of the Goths, and her sons. He orders the eldest hewn to appease the Roman dead. He declines the proffered Emperor’s crown, nominating Saturninus, the last ruler’s venal elder son. Saturninus, to spite his brother Bassianus, demands the hand of Lavinia, Titus’ daughter. When Bassianus, Lavinia, and Titus’ sons flee in protest, Titus stands against them and slays one of his own. Saturninus marries the honey-tongued Tamora, who vows vengeance against Titus. The ensuing maelstrom serves up tongues, hands, rape, adultery, racism, and Goth-meat pie. There’s irony in which two sons survive.

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7 Cleopatra, 1963

In 48 B.C., the young Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra VII, seduces Julius Caesar, who has just defeated Pompey the Great and uses her charms to manipulate him and to establish her authority. Little by little, things will work out as planned, and now that the ambitious Cleopatra’s son, Caesarion, is born, she can almost taste Egypt’s long-awaited union with Rome, and the formation of a mighty empire. However, after Caesar’s unforeseen death, the beautiful Queen will besiege his powerful Roman General, Mark Antony, leading him to a personal and political demise, as Octavian takes over and wages war on the two lovers.

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6 Agora, 2009

Alexandria, 391 AD: Hypatia teaches astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy. Her student Orestes is in love with her, as is Davus, her personal slave. As the city’s Christians, led by Ammonius and Cyril, gain political power, the institutions of learning may crumble along with the governance of slavery. Jump ahead 20 years: Orestes, the city’s prefect, has an uneasy peace with the Christians, led by Cyril. A group from the newly empowered Christians has now taken to enforce their cultural hegemony zealously; first they see the Jews as their obstacle, then nonbelievers. Hypatia has no interest in faith; she’s concerned about the movement of celestial bodies and “the brotherhood of all”. Although her former slave doesn’t see it that way.

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5 Life of Brian, 1979

The story of Brian of Nazareth, born on the same day as Jesus of Nazareth, who takes a different path in life that leads to the same conclusion. Brian joins a political resistance movement aiming to get the Romans out of Judea. Brian scores a victory of sorts when he manages to paint political slogans on an entire wall in the city of Jerusalem. The movement is not very effective but somehow Brian becomes a prophet and gathers his own following. His fate is sealed however and he lives a very short life.

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4 The Passion of the Christ, 2004

Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem, circa 33 A.D. Amid unresolved turmoil, Roman soldiers capture Jesus of Nazareth, a supposedly seditious local, after His duplicitous disciple Judas Iscariot’s betrayal. And accused of blasphemy by the Pharisees, the Nazarene is turned over to the high priests and the angry mob. After all, the doubtful Roman governor Pontius Pilate had already washed his hands of Jesus’ freedom. As a result, sentenced to death by crucifixion, the Son of God must carry His cross to Golgotha. During His final twelve hours on Earth, Jesus Christ endured extreme suffering and torture in reparation for our sins. But He rose from the dead on the third day.

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3 Spartacus, 1960

In 73 B.C., a Thracian slave leads a revolt at a gladiatorial school run by Lentulus Batiatus. The uprising soon spreads across the Italian Peninsula involving thousand of slaves. The plan is to acquire sufficient funds to acquire ships from Silesian pirates who could then transport them to other lands from Brandisium in the south. The Roman Senator Gracchus schemes to have Marcus Publius Glabrus, Commander of the garrison of Rome, lead an army against the slaves who are living on Vesuvius. When Glabrus is defeated his mentor, Senator and General Marcus Licinius Crassus is greatly embarrassed and leads his own army against the slaves. Spartacus and the thousands of freed slaves successfully make their way to Brandisium only to find that the Silesians have abandoned them. They then turn north and must face the might of Rome.

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2 Ben-Hur, 1959

Judah Ben-Hur lives as a rich Jewish prince and merchant in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 1st century. Together with the new governor his old friend Messala arrives as commanding officer of the Roman legions. At first they are happy to meet after a long time but their different politic views separate them. During the welcome parade a roof tile falls down from Judah’s house and injures the governor. Although Messala knows they are not guilty, he sends Judah to the galleys and throws his mother and sister into prison. But Judah swears to come back and take revenge.

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1 Gladiator, 2000

Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Before his death, the Emperor chooses Maximus to be his heir over his own son, Commodus, and a power struggle leaves Maximus and his family condemned to death. The powerful general is unable to save his family, and his loss of will allows him to get captured and put into the Gladiator games until he dies. The only desire that fuels him now is the chance to rise to the top so that he will be able to look into the eyes of the man who will feel his revenge.

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