Constantino y la cruz

This film must have been spectacular in its day, just like the Roman Empire. Now its saturated colors are faded, its panoramic vision compressed. Cornel Wilde is still a hunk, but an aging one, and it's hard to believe he was the educated, fluent in several languages and fussy about his roles actor from his performance here, delivering some of his lines just like John Wayne might have done. There are several hokey overview shots of Rome, which are really of the scale model version from the Museum of History of the City of Rome, but otherwise the sets, costumes and production is a lavish one. The final battle at the Milvian Bridge is endless (you know who is going to win), but thanks to this victory, Christianity directs the course of Western History.

This is pretty much the cream of the crop of Italian Spaghetti Sword and Sandal Films, most of which were catastrophically bad. This one, however, has very good direction, and a few solid performances among the ensemble cast.

Cornel Wilde makes the film a cut above average with his substantial acting skills. Other notable roles are Fausto Tozzi as Hadrian, Christine Kaufman as Livia, the love of Hadrian, and Massimo Serato as the contentious Maxentius. It is very important to see this film in its remastered form, as the original Embassy Studio versions are vastly inferior in quality.

The story of the rise of Constantine is historically interesting, and relatively accurate, as opposed to several other Hollywood treatments of historical figures (like Genghis Khan for example).

While this efforst was not bad it's certain than constantine the great needs a big budget film effort which will cover his reign and impossible achievements between 306 and 337 in which time he managed to defeat all his rivals and create a new rome in the east while god was revealed to him and finally christianity was about to be imposed in the roman empire.

This film is a typical italian production with good actors and the well known plots of the well known typical cinechita film companies.

If u like italian ancient sandal historical fiction films then this is for you but if u are in to big budget epic hollywood films like the 2000 gladiator film then u may be bored with this italian entry.

I really hope someday we get a worthy big budget constantine the great biography film as he is one of those roman emperors who is worth the honor together with caesar, augustus, trajan, justinian, basil II and charlomagne to name a few.

The Roman empire took a time for the decadence and downfall , however during the fourth century it was a battleground for rival Caesars ; until Dioclecianus with the tetrarchy (two Augustus and two Caesars) imposed peace and order . Constantinus (Cornel Wilde) the Great (280-337 A.D.) was the first Christian emperor , he sets out to conquer the Roman Empire for Christianity , though his conversion was probably more a political deed than a theological . He was son of Constantinus Chlorus (Carlo Ninchi) and Helena (Elisa Cegani) , a fundamental supporter for Christians . He was married to Fausta (Belinda Lee) , emperor Maximiniano's daughter . Constantinus published the edict of Milan (313) which established the religious freedom and reunited the council of Nicea (325) prohibiting the paganism . Constantino assembled the Roman empire but is establishing Constantinople (Byzancio) as the new capital when started the Byzantine empire .

Cornel Wilde was an excellent Constantino confronting his rival Maxentius (Massimo Serato) and the remaining roman pagans . Belinda Lee (the next year she died in a car accident) as his wife Fausta is enticing and attractive . The highlights of the film are the one that Constantine saw the flaming cross in the heaven captioned ¨In this sign conquer¨ , the Christians martyrdom and , of course , the battle of the Mulvian Bridge where are shown spectacular combats . Enjoyable support cast by Christine Kauffman (Tony Curtis's wife) as a kind Christian , Massimo Serato y Fausto Tozzi (both of them were actors in ¨the Cid¨) . Awesome cinematography by Maximo Dallamano and atmospheric musical score by Mario Nascimbene . The motion picture is well directed by Lionello De Felice . The flick will appeal to sword and sandal genre fans .

This Italian sword and sandal film is about the life and Christian conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine, which took place at the beginning of the 4th century AD. The film remains a bit too schematic and is therefore not as exciting as other examples of the genre.

What is interesting, however, is the casting of the title role with the Hungarian-born Hollywood star Cornel WILDE (ACADEMY AWARD nomination in 1946 for POLONAISE), who is best known as the Great Sebastian from THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH by Cecil B. DeMILLE. Christine KAUFMANN (GOLDEN GLOBE 1962 for TOWN WITHOUT PITY), who had already made a sword and sandal film with proto-Hercules Steve REEVES (GLI ULTIMI GIORNI DI POMPEI, 1959) two years earlier, can be seen as the young Christian Livia.