With Gladiator II thrusting into cinematic arenas next month, we hand out laurels to the greatest sword-and-sandal movies of them all
I. Spartacus (1960)
II. Gladiator (2000)
III. Ben-Hur (1959)
IV. Cleopatra (1963)
V. Caligula: the Ultimate Cut (2023)
VI. Quo Vadis (1951)
VII. The Sign of the Cross (1932)
VIII. Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
IX. Cleopatra (1934)
X. Fellini Satyricon (1969)
XI. Julius Caesar (1953)
XII. Carry On Cleo (1964)
XIII. The Eagle (2011)
XIV. Sebastiane (1976)
XV. Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002)
XVI. The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
XVII. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
XVIII. Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
As someone who studied Latin based on the Cambridge Latin book series, I wouldn’t mind seeing a disaster movie about Pompeii featuring Caecilius, the banker at the center of the training course (and a real person whose home and records were discovered by archeologists).
He popped up in the Doctor Who episode The Fires of Pompeii, but that’s not quote the same as a legitimate Hollywood disaster movie treatment.
Doubtful we’ll get another Pompeii film for a while.
I got to see Gladiator on the biggest screen available this week and it still packs a punch. The sequel will really have it’s work cut out to even get close.
Heh. “Sequel”. 🤮 As if.
