IDS 101: Ancient Greece and Rome in the Movies: DVDs in the Library

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...

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...

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.

The story of Alexander the Great, Greek hero and world-conqueror. Alexander is a man torn by conflict between his teacher, Aristotle, his warrior father and his own ambition.

Dramatization of the life of Hercules, starring Steve Reeves, was the first of many low budget sword-and-sandels movies of the 50s and 60s.

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. Includes the 1925 silent version with Ramon Navarro.

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...

Greek hero Darios goes to see his uncle in Rhodes, but on the way he flirts with Diala, while becoming involved with a group of rebels lead by Peliocles.

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...

Animated, musical adaptation of the story of Hercules.

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.

The story of Alexander the Great, who in 4th century BC conquered ninety percent of the known world of the time by defeating Greece, Persia, Afghanistan, and India in just eight years.

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...

In 1193 B.C., Prince Paris, the son of the King of Troy falls in love with Helen, the wife of the king of Sparta, and convinces her to follow him away from her husband, Menelaus. The result is an epic war in which the Greeks sail to Troy and lay siege...

In the 5th century, a reluctant leader, Arthur, wishes only to leave Britain and return to the peace and stability of Rome.

Depicts the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, when King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fought to the death against invading Persian King Xerxes and his army of 100,000.

Set at the end of the 4th century, a young slave in ancient Egypt must choose between joining the Christianity movement, which will give him freedom, and Hypatia, the woman he loves, who is his master and an atheist.

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.

In 430 AD, bishop Augustine recalls his reckless youth, his days as a renowned but dissolute orator, and how he was called to the imperial court in Milan to serve as an opponent to the Christian bishop Ambrose.

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.

A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio's stars in line.

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.

Four separate stories are interwoven: the fall of Babylon, the death of Christ, the massacre of the Huguenots, and a contemporary drama

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.

Two movies, originally released separately: Der Raub der Helena (The Abduction of Helen) and Die Zerstörung Trojas (The Destruction of Troy). (German intertiles with English subtitles, PAL format)

The classic story of the young Jewish nobleman and his nemesis, a Roman centurion, set against the backdrop of the life of Jesus. This is also available in DVD in the 1959 version of Ben Hur.

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.

Caius Martius 'Coriolanus' is a feared and revered Roman general, suddenly pitted against his own city and fellow citizens. The banished hero joins forces with his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius to extract his revenge and determine his destiny. Set in contemporary times.

An adaptation of the classic Shakespeare play, chronicling the events around the assassination of Julius Caesar. Marlon Brando.

Gregory Doran relocates Shakespeare’s tale of power and corruption to post-independence Africa.

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

Examines the life of Julius Caesar and his impact on Rome.
Vol. 1. Biography: Julius Caesar: Master of the Roman World -- Antony and Cleopatra
Vol. 2. The Republic of Rome -- The Age of Emperors -- Building an Empire -- The Enduring Legacy.

Chronicles the rise and fall of the civilization of ancient Sparta, considering socio-economic, political and military aspects and influence on later Western culture.

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

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...

Jupiter takes the shape of Amphitryon in order to enjoy the love of Amphitryon's wife, Alcmene. Based on the play by von Kleist, this was one of the most successful films of the 1930's. (In German, no subtitles. PAL format)

It's 50 B.C. and a small village in Gallic France is under siege by the Romans. Panoramix, the druid, cooks up a magic potion which helps the little warrior Astérix and his friends to hold their own.

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, English subtitles)

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)

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

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. (Aramaic, Latin, & Hebrew, English Subtitles)

Romulus and Remus are two shepherds and loyal brothers who are destined to found the greatest empire the world has ever seen, but only one can rule. (In Archaic Latin, English subtitles)

The young wife of a Greek shipping tycoon has a love affair with her stepson. Based on play Hippolytus by Euripides

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)

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.