Remembering the escapist films of ‘swords & sand’

Bill Knight column for 12-31, 1-1 or 2

Roman emperor Lucius Aurelius Commodus (who claimed lineage to Hercules and defeated gladiators in public bouts) was assassinated at the age of 31 on Dec. 31, 192, so it’s a timely to recall Hollywood’s cinematic nod to ancient civilizations – of sandals and Vandals, tunics and togas, places of colonial rule and scandal, revolts and reforms, bread and circuses – brutal societies built on blood.

Gladiators originated at Roman funerals (“losers” were to accompany the deceased in the afterlife), and gladiator contests debuted in Rome about 264 B.C., becoming so popular the practice lasted some 600 years.

Movies’ swords-and-sandals spectacles were once a Hollywood mainstay: big-budget costume epics, low-budget melodramas and goofy comedies. Epics range from “Quo Vadis” and “The Robe” to “Cleopatra” and “I Claudius.” Cheap versions include “Roland The Mighty” and “Son of Cleopatra,” and comedies include “A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to The Forum” and George Clooney’s 2016 romp “Hail Caesar!”

A prominent figure from the heyday of swords-and-sandal movies was Steve Reeves, an ex-Mr. Universe and Mr. World who left bodybuilding for a 14-year acting career. He arguably peaked in 1964 (when Reeves’ “Last Glory of Troy” was released, along with others’ “Triumph and The Ten Gladiators,” “Colossus and The Amazon Queen,” “Challenge of The Gladiator,” “Gladiators 7,” “Lion of Thebes, “Revolt of the Barbarians,” and “Coriolanus: Man Without a Country”). But Reeves disliked movie-making, once commenting, “I found acting very stressful.”

Still, the films were an escape for many moviegoers.

These 10 films are a good cross-section of such adventures on video or online:

“Ben-Hur” (1959). This Academy Award-winner stars Charlton Heston as a Jewish prince who’d befriended a young Roman (Stephen Boyd) who grows up to be commander of the Jerusalem garrison trying to find Jewish patriots, especially Jesus Christ. Ben-Hur won’t cooperate and is enslaved. After getting freed, he discovers his sister and mother were slain and eventually agrees to drive a chariot for an Arab sheik he befriended, defeats Messala, and discovers his family alive. It’s credited with spawning the early ‘60s rash of historical epics, from “El Cid” to “King of Kings.”

“Colossus and The Amazon Queen” (1964). Two gladiators no sooner return from the Trojan War than they’re tricked into sailing to a mythical island populated by fearsome women who need males as mates. Rod Taylor stars.

“Demetrius and The Gladiators” (1954). Victor Mature and Michael Rennie reprise their roles from “The Robe” in this sequel co-starring Susan Hayward, Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine and Richard Egan.

“The Fall of The Roman Empire” (1964). Emperor Commodus returns, portrayed by Christopher Plummer in an impressive epic directed by Anthony Mann. Also starring are Sophia Loren, James Mason, Stephen Boyd, Mel Ferrer, Alec Guinness and John Ireland.

“Gladiator” (2000). Directed by Ridley Scott, this stars Russell Crowe as General Maximus, hand-picked by a dying emperor to help restore Rome’s republic but condemned by the Emperor’s ambitious son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Maximus escapes execution but he’s enslaved and his family slaughtered. Gradually, he becomes a gladiator and eventually faces his nemesis in the Coliseum.

“Gladiator of Rome” (1963). Ex-Tarzan Gordon Scott stars as a Roman prisoner who builds up his strength during a 14-year prison term with a childhood friend, the princess and rightful heir to the empire’s throne, and leads a revolt against the usurpers.

“The Last Days of Pompeii” (1960). This Steve Reeves vehicle was one of his best performances and co-stars Fernando Rey in a tale about a heroic Roman soldier stationed in Greece who tries to save condemned Christians.

“The Revolt of The Slaves” (1961). Rhonda Fleming stars as the snotty daughter of a Roman aristocrat who mistreats a Christian slave, discovers the meaning of the faith, and converts during a time of persecution.

“Slave Girls of Sheba” (1963). This “sexy gladiator epic” co-written by Sergio Leone stars Linda Cristal (TV’s “High Chaparral”) in an adventure about a hero and beautiful slave girls saving a condemned patriot.

“Spartacus” (1960). Kirk Douglas starred in Dalton Trumbo’s adaptation of Howard Fast’s historical novel about Rome’s real-life slave revolt of 73-71 B.C. Director Stanley Kubrick effectively balances big-budget battle scenes with poignant moments of intrigue, drama and tenderness. It features Laurence Olivier and Charles Laughton as haughty Romans, Jean Simmons as a romantic interest, and Tony Curtis as a houseboy slave who escapes servitude.