Constantin le grand

It continues to amaze me that, to date, this is the only movie that has been made about a man who, quite literally, changed the world. The historical accuracy in this movie leaves much to be desired; Constantine's mothers name was Helena, he had several half siblings,he was married (or was at least sleeping with someone) before he met Fausta, as he already had a son, Crispus, when he married her, Licinius was Constantine's ally, not Maxentius', Galerius hated Constantine, and Maxentius drowned and was not cut down by Constantine. However, with all that said, the movie still does send the overall message that it was meant to send, even though it is definitely dated.Cornell Wilde did a fine job with the tools he was given, and the acting, on the whole, is satisfactory, especially in light of the fact that it was primarily an Italian movie with an Italian cast.The battle scenes are good, for their time, and the continuity and flow of the movie are acceptable. This is a good movie about a great man, a man who deserves to have a GREAT movie made about him (but definitely NOT by Oliver Stone!!!) This guy gave Christians the fundamentals of their religion as it is practiced today, changed forever the face of the greatest Empire on earth, moving it from West to East, established laws that are the basis of many of ours today, and may very well have found some of the most profound religious relics ever discovered by mankind (including the True Cross and the Spear of Destiny). At the same time he murdered his own son and wife (had Crispus strangled and Fausta suffocated in an overheated bath), and carved a bloody swath through Europe on his rise to the Imperial throne. A fascinating man who truly deserved the title Great. He deserves a new, Great remake of this flick (but this time let's stick a bit more closely to history-it really would make for a better story!).

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.

Above average Italian sword and sandal:it is longer than the usual peplum (2 hours+),the settings are not cheap,and there's a solid American actor(and a director,one often forgets he made the memorable "naked prey"and the estimable "no blade of grass" )as the lead ,Cornel Wilde ,a Hollywood veteran ("leave her to Heaven" ,"Forever Amber","the greatest show on earth" and many more) .

Constantin's mother's destiny is not exactly what we see in the movie:she was not a highborn lady (an innkeeper's daughter) and Constantin was not estranged from her till his victory over Maxence;but the movie introduces her with taste .To keep a story-like side,the screenwriters invent the tale of two unfortunate lovers Adrian and Livia (the delicate Christine Kaufman who played opposite Steve Reeves in Bonnard/Leone's doomed "last days of pompei"(1959) in which she was ...a young Christian of course!) Wilde is a convincing Constantin,he gets good support from the rest of the cast ;this is neither "Spartacus" ,nor "Cleopatra " ,but as an entertaining epic ,that's still good value

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.

"Constantine and the Cross" is an historical film set in the fourth century of the Roman Empire, and the last days of its pagan and mythological cults. It covers the period when Constantine became emperor and ended the persecution of the young Christian faith. It gives a good rendition of Constantine's rise and the battles that led to his reunification of the empire.

The film is a British-Italian production, filmed in Italy. Cornel Wilde plays Constantine. Most of the rest of the cast are Europeans actors - Italians making up the bulk. The sets, costumes and battle scenes are well done. But the screenplay is very choppy, and the direction and editing seem slipshod. Wilde and others who play Roman soldiers are wooden much of the time. The rest of the cast give just so-so performances.

The movie lacks energy and seems to drag on in many places. Only those interested in history and the survival of early Christianity are likely to enjoy it.

A nice plus that boosts this film's rating is its scenes of the catacombs in Rome. Very few films have been made that show the catacombs. But they were a crucial aspect of the early Christian church and its survival and growth in Rome.

I toured two different catacombs in Rome in 1963. With so many sites and things to see in Rome, many tour groups skip the catacombs. I recommend a visit to at least one. Especially to those interested in history or the first four centuries of Christianity.