After fierce Roman commander Marcus Vinicius becomes infatuated with beautiful Christian hostage Lygia, he begins to question the tyrannical leadership of the despotic emperor Nero.
Production
32,000 extras and a full-scale Circus Maximus, absolutely unhinged.
Acting
Peter Ustinov's Nero: petulant, pathetic, unforgettable camp genius.
Cinematography
Technicolor flames that practically smell like burning empire.
Director
Mervyn LeRoy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Elizabeth Taylor was offered Lygia but turned it down; Deborah Kerr inherited 8,000 costumes and zero regrets.
This nearly bankrupted MGM and kicked off the 1950s biblical epic arms race that peaked with Ben-Hur.
US
