15 Best Movies Set In Ancient Rome Ranked

Movies set in Ancient Rome often bring to memories emperors, gladiators, Julius Caesar, and aristocrats. Many people also think of William Shakespeare, as the Bard himself wrote frequently on the subject in his plays. Outside of Shakespeare and adaptations of his work, Ancient Rome played a big role in massive studio movies since the early days of silent films. These have been both big and small features, with at least two as landmark moments in American history thanks to American Presidents trumping their arrivals.

There have certainly been box office bombs in the Ancient Roman historical genre, which includes the subgenre known as the “sword and sandal” movie. However, in more recent times, movies about Rome tend to have massive sets and sweeping set pieces. This allowed movies to cost studios a lot of money, and even when they might not have brought in a huge financial return, they often ended up bringing awards recognition to the studios that took a chance on them. With multi-award-winning movies like Gladiator and Ben-Hur to the smaller, yet critically-beloved releases like Titus and Life of Brian, fans of movies about Rome have plenty to love.

15 Barabbas (1961)

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The religious epic Barabbas tells the story of Barabbas, a New Testament biblical figure. Unlike many of the movies about Rome, this was actually shot in Rome, as well as in Verona, Italy, with huge set pieces, including a gladiatorial battle and a crucifixion shot during an actual solar eclipse. It stars Anthony Quinn as Barabbas. It earned $2.9 million at the box office and has received positive reviews from contemporaneous and modern critics alike. The National Board of Review named it one of the Top Foreign Films of the Year when it was released back in 1961.

14 A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1966)

• Available to stream on Hoopla

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum is a bit different from other movies about Rome. For starters, it’s a musical comedy. Based on the stage musical of the same name, which is based on the works of Roman comedic playwright Plautus, it tells the story of an enslaved man named Pseudolus, played by Zero Mostel, who attempts to earn his freedom by helping his master win the heart of the girl next door. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the movie went on to win an Oscar for Best Music.

13 Titus (1999)

Helmed by Julie Taymor, Titus is a film adaptation of Shakespeare’s play Titus Andronicus and stars Anthony Hopkins as the title character. Though it bends and at times smashes the bounds of historical accuracy (at least insomuch as it exists in Shakespeare’s work), Titus is for the most part set in actual Ancient Rome. Hopkins is joined on-screen by Jessica Lange and Alan Cummings, playing Tamora, Queen of the Goths, and Saturninus, Emperor of Rome, respectively. The film made only $3 million at the box office on a budget of $25 million and received mixed reviews from critics, but has since achieved cult status, making it easily one of the best movies set in Ancient Rome.

12 The Last Temptation Of Christ (1988)

• Stream now on Prime Video

Martin Scorsese took a break from his mafia movies to create his own Biblical epic in 1988. Set in the Roman Empire, The Last Temptation of Christ told the story of the eventual crucifixion of Jesus Christ at the hands of the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate. Unlike a later story of Jesus’s execution, The Passion of the Christ, churches did not take well to this one and protested it thanks to a scene where Jesus was tempted by Satan. With Willem Defoe as Jesus and David Bowie as Pilate, the movie was still a critical success, with Scorsese picking up an Oscar nomination for Best Director.

11 The Fall Of The Roman Empire (1964)

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Spectacle, drama, political intrigue, and lust for power are the core elements of 1963’s The Fall of the Roman Empire. When film aficionados weep over the end of Hollywood’s Golden Age, this is the kind of movie they miss. To give an idea of how the industry has changed, Ridley Scott made a condensed version of this for modern audiences that fans may be familiar with called Gladiator. Essentially a historical epic in its purest form, the 1964 film covers the might and expanse of Rome’s greatest age and how it fell from within. The movie picked up one Oscar nomination and won a Golden Globe for Best Music.

10 Satyricon (1969)

Satyricon is an episodic and fantastic story of life in Ancient Rome that is based more on the legends of hedonism and pleasure than actual facts. The colors, costumes, and general atmosphere are all exaggerated to match the equally fantastic time period that encompassed the chaotic reign of Emporer Nero. The movie doesn’t tell a linear story in a conventional way but instead breaks up the narrative into nine different episodes that follow the main character as he tries to win back his young lover. Federico Fellini earned his third Oscar nomination for directing this movie​​​​​ set in Ancient Rome.

9 The Passion Of The Christ (2004)

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While The Last Temptation of Christ received more critical praise, a very different movie about the death of Jesus Christ received awards and box office success. In 2004, Mel Gibson directed The Passion of the Christ, which went into great detail about the torture and crucifixion of Jesus at the hands of the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate. Unlike Scorsese’s movie, this was less reliant on Jesus’s journey to the cross and was more about the pain and bloody torture of the Son of God. What resulted was churches supporting it to the level of a $612 million box office take, the highest-grossing R-rated movie domestically (via Box Office Mojo).

8 Life Of Brian (1979)

• Available to stream on Netflix.

One of Monty Python’s most polished feature films, Life of Brian is one of the most accurate depictions of life in a Roman province ever put on the silver screen. When it comes to movies about Rome, it doesn’t take place in the capital city itself but in the Roman province of Judea, and it includes a lighthearted but realistic look at life under Roman rule. It’s not always funny, either, as sometimes the satire takes a biting turn when it comes to the tyranny of the Romans and the local Judean authorities. The movie remains one of the highest-ranking British comedies ever made on several best-of lists.

7 Cabiria (1914)

• Available to stream on Vudu

Cabiria is set during the Second Punic War and depicts many of the most famous moments of that war: Hannibal’s march across the Alps, the Siege of Syracuse, and Roman general Scipio’s military campaign in Northern Africa, to name a few. Martin Scorsese credits this film as inventing the epic genre (via Roger Ebert). If he’s correct, that makes Cabiria the spiritual ancestor of films like Ben-Hur and Gladiator. It was restored and re-released at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, and during its original release in 1914, it was the first film to ever be screened at the White House, showing on the lawn for President Woodrow Wilson.

6 Quo Vadis (1951)

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Often credited with saving MGM from bankruptcy, Quo Vadis is an epic historical drama that combines historical with fictional elements to tell the story of the Roman Empire’s clash with Christianity and the treatment of early Christians. It stars Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn, and Peter Ustinov, with narration by Walter Pidgeon (Funny Girl, Forbidden Planet). It was both a box office and a critical success, earning $21 million on a $7 million budget and mixed to positive reviews. The movie picked up eight Oscar nominations, although it didn’t win any of them.

5 Julius Caesar (1953)

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There have been many movies about Ancient Rome based on the life of famed Roman Emperor Julius Caesar — including one in 1950 and one in 1970, both starring Charlton Heston. But it is the 1953 film starring Marlon Brando as Mark Antony, based on Shakespeare’s stage play of the same name, that tops the list. Julius Caesar details the betrayal and assassination of the titular character by his allies and friends and received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. The movie was a huge success, picking up five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and winning for Best Art Direction.

4 Cleopatra (1963)

• Available to stream on HBO Max

It’s one of Elizabeth Taylor’s most iconic looks, roles, and performances, and it certainly gives the ancient world a powerful shock, Cleopatra deserves its spot in the history of cinema. As beautiful as she is manipulative, Cleopatra changes the tide of civilization as she seduces both Marc Antony and Julius Caesar, played by Richard Burton and Rex Harrison respectively. It almost bankrupted 20th Century Fox (via Los Angeles Times) despite the fact that it made quite a bit of money, but it went on to win four Oscars with nine nominations.

3 Spartacus (1960)

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Many people may be familiar with the story Spartacus because of his later appearance on the small screen in Starz’s television series Spartacus. But he first arrived on film long before that, in this famed 1960 film of the same name directed by Stanley Kubrick and written by blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Spartacus’ role in American history is perhaps even more interesting than the story it tells – President John F. Kennedy personally crossed picket lines in order to view it (via Chicago Tribune), helping to end the practice of blacklisting filmmakers. It won four Oscars and entered the National Film Registry in 2017.

2 Gladiator (2000)

• Available to stream on Paramount+

Perhaps the most famous of all movies about Rome, Gladiator is a Ridley Scott masterpiece that earned $460 million at the box office and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It was so successful that it created a phenomenon known as the “Gladiator effect,” spawning a spike in interest in Ancient Roman literature and history. Gladiator stars Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a high-ranking Roman forced into slavery who seeks revenge against the cruel Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).

1 Ben-Hur (1959)

• Available to stream on HBO Max

Ben-Hur is a classic film that was remade in 2016, and the 1959 version itself is a remake of a 1925 silent film. It tells the story of Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), a Jewish prince forced into Roman slavery who becomes a champion charioteer and swears revenge on a Roman citizen who wronged him. At the time of its release, Ben-Hur was the most expensive film ever made. It all paid off as one of the best movies set in Ancient Rome ever made, earning $146 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo) and winning 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.