ARTH 270: Roman Art and Architecture: Videos & Websites

In 64 A.D., Emperor Nero torches Rome and blames it on the Christians. Meanwhile, a Roman Prefect falls for an innocent Christian maiden, arousing the ire of Empress Poppacea. She and Nero conspire to send all Christians to a chilling death.

The story of the Queen of the Nile, Julius Caesar, and Marc Antony and their struggles for love and power.

Returning to Rome after 3 years in the field, General Marcus Vinicius meets and falls in love with the devout Christian, Lygia. She doesn't want to have anything to do with the warrior. Though Lygia grew up Roman, and as the adopted daughter of a retired general, Lygia is technically a hostage of Rome...

This is the inspiring story of the robe that Jesus wore on the cross and the Roman centurion, Marcellus Gallio, who wins the robe in a gambling match at the foot of the cross.

Sequel to The robe, set in Rome after the death of Christ. The mad emperor Caligula is obsessed with obtaining the robe of Christ which has been entrusted to Demetrius, a devout Christian who turns his back on God, enters the arena and becomes the most famous gladiator in Rome.

Jewish nobleman Judah Ben-Hur opposes the Roman tyranny in the times of Christ, and through his opposition brings tragedy to himself and his family.

Spartacus is the bold gladiator slave who leads a massive slave revolt against Imperial Rome in this epic true account of man's eternal struggle for freedom.

Pardoned instead of Christ, Barabbas is haunted for the rest of his life...Arrested again, he is sent to the sulphur mines and then to gladiator school...

Story of the life of Cleopatra, queen of ancient Egypt-- from her ascension to the throne through her struggle for power, and her love entanglements with Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony.

Marcus Aurelius Antonius is philosopher-emperor of Rome who summons his empire's governors and princes to his German war headquarters for a Pax Romanus. He confides to his daughter, Lucilla, that his adopted son, Livius, will succeed him instead of his more unstable heir, Commodus...

An epic tale of ambition, debauchery, and intrigue, spanning the history of the Roman Empire from Augustus to Nero.

Describes the last few days of the life of the Catholic martyr St. Sebastian, in particular his relationship with the Emperor Diocletian in 303 A.D...

Shakespeare's dramatization of the successful conspiracy to assassinate the Roman emperor, Julius Caesar.

Shakespeare's story of Antony, the once-heralded leader who becomes stupified with passion and degenerates into a fool, and the multi-faceted Cleopatra.

Shakespeare's play about a proud Roman general who conquers the Volscians, leads them against Rome in revenge for his banishment...

Shakespeare's tale of Titus, who returns to Rome after a victory against the Goths, bringing as captives their queen Tamora and her sons, one of whom is sacrificed...

A Roman general refuses to transfer his loyalty to the new Emperor, Commodus. He becomes a slave and then a gladiator, fighting in the Roman Colosseum in defiance of the Emperor.

Shakespeare's story of a victorious Roman general whose rigid code of honor and duty proves to be his downfall.

Sold into slavery as a young boy and sentenced to spend out the rest of his adult life laboring in the harsh deserts of Egypt, Spartacus gets a new lease on life when he is purchased by the owner of a Roman gladiator school...

Four hundred years after the founding of the Republic, Rome is the wealthiest city in the world, a cosmopolitan metropolis of one million people, epicenter of a sprawling empire. The Republic was founded on principles of shared power and fierce personal competition, never allowing one man to seize absolute control...

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.

The epic love story, based loosely on Shakespeare's play, Plutarch's Lives, and Pietro Cossa's dramatic poem, Cleopatra.

An epic adaptation of Bulwer-Lytton's novel about the final hours of residents of Pompeii before the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Vesuvius

An 8-year old Sicilian princess is kidnapped by pirates, eventually becoming a slave in Carthage. When she reaches adulthood, she attempts to win her freedom again, whatever the costs. Set in the third century B.C. during the Punic Wars.

Romantic misadventures from the dawn of man in the Stone Age, through the gladiatorial arenas of Ancient Rome to the city streets of the American Jazz Era.

The classic story of the young Jewish nobleman and his nemesis, a Roman centurion, set against the backdrop of the life of Jesus.

A reverent dramatization of the great events of the New Testament.

A Mussolini-era war epic commissioned by Italy's fascist government, meant to invoke popular support by celebrating the exploits of Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus as he successfully battled the army of Hannibal.

The Shakespearean Festival Players, speaking through Greek masks, present the tragedy of Oedipus...

Sophocles' play, with added prologue and epilogue set in modern times, is extended into the present and points out that the motives of the ancient tragedy still exist today. (In Italian with English subtitles)

Film retelling of Aristophanes' work about the Athenian woman who, disgusted by the way men have ruined the country with their endless wars, convinces other women they can end the wars by withholding sexual favors from their husbands. (Modern Greek dialog with English subtitles)

Story of a young girl caught in the midst of political intrigue and corruption. (In Greek with English subtitles)

Starring Zoe Caldwell, Medea; Judith Anderson, the nurse. Filmed at the Eisenhower Theatre, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

One of the first "problem plays" in European literature, this social comedy presents the problem of which approach -- tolerance or discipline -- is more successful in rearing children.

Concerns the last twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth... Jesus is condemned to death for blasphemy and brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, for sentencing.

Fellini recreates the bawdy and lecherous days of Nero's reign in ancient Rome and its lack of concern with human dignity and obsession with perverse sex. The film is also an allegorical satire of the self-indulgence of modern society. (In Italian with English subtitles)

In 60 B.C., Vercingétorix is a strong, peaceful Gallic chieftain with a legacy to protect his fellow Druids in the Celtic Isles. But when Julius Caesar and his Roman army declare war, Vercingétorix has no choice but to fight. (In French, no subtitles, PAL format)

English language version of Vercingétorix

Dans cette aventure fabuleuse on y verra Astérix se lancer dans un combat homérique contre Obélix ... Obélix livrer Asterix aux Romains ... (In French, no subtitles)

Jules César défie Cléopatre de construire un palais en trois mois. Conscient du défi, l'architecte Numérobis court chercher ses amis Panoramix, Astérix et Obélix. (In French, no subtitles)

Zero Mostel portrays a conniving slave who uses his wiles to attain his freedom during the days of the Roman Empire.

Set in 33 A.D. Judea where the exasperated Romans try to impose order, it is a time of chaos and change with no shortage of messiahs and followers willing to believe in them...

A humorous look at the ages of man. Includes eras through the French Revolution.