Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey deserves credit for successfully reviving an era of grand historical epics that reached their production peak during the 1950s and 1960s. It introduces contemporary audiences to a genre that has become increasingly rare, surviving largely through Ridley Scott's historical productions, from Gladiator (2000) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005) to Napoleon (2023) and Gladiator II (2024).
Yet historical epics—particularly those set around the Mediterranean basin, home to the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome—represent more than the cinematic tradition Nolan has revisited. They have always demanded an extraordinary synthesis of filmmaking elements, including elaborate production design, monumental sets, authentic costumes, vast numbers of extras, and meticulous historical reconstruction, all aimed at transporting modern audiences into worlds that disappeared nearly 3,000 years ago.
A Brief Era of Success
These productions became known as "sword-and-sandal" films, named after their iconic imagery of warriors carrying swords while wearing simple leather sandals. Their essence, however, lay not in costume but in their portrayal of conflicts—between individuals, armies, and empires—played out across palaces, fortresses, and the sweeping landscapes surrounding the Mediterranean.
In 1953, director Joseph L. Mankiewicz embarked on a screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. He was not the only American filmmaker interested in bringing the play to the screen. Orson Welles had long hoped to direct his own version, but Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's backing of Mankiewicz's production effectively ended Welles's ambitions, leading him to pursue other Shakespearean projects instead.
The following year, director Michael Curtiz, already celebrated for Casablanca, enthusiastically accepted Twentieth Century Fox's offer to direct The Egyptian, whose opening sequence evokes the biblical story of Moses. Marlon Brando initially agreed to star in the film before withdrawing, officially citing medical treatment. He later admitted that he was dissatisfied with some of the other cast members. He was ultimately replaced by Victor Mature, whose acting style differed dramatically from Brando's.
Spectacle at a Price
Although The Egyptian achieved only modest commercial success, it did little to diminish Hollywood's appetite for historical epics.
In 1956, Robert Wise directed Helen of Troy, adapted from Homer's Iliad. Warner Bros. acquired the project from Italian producers Carlo Ponti and Dino De Laurentiis, casting Rossana Podestà, Jacques Sernas, and veteran stage actor Cedric Hardwicke. The film also marked one of Brigitte Bardot's earliest screen appearances.
The production assembled impressive dramatic elements, featuring carefully staged battle scenes and massive crowd sequences. However, its performances suffered because several cast members were not fluent English speakers, making Hardwicke's performance stand out as the film's strongest.
It was followed by Cleopatra, a production that nearly bankrupted Twentieth Century Fox because of its unprecedented cost and numerous production difficulties.
Originally begun by Rouben Mamoulian and ultimately completed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Cleopatra starred Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Rex Harrison. Its budget reached an astonishing $44 million at the time—equivalent to approximately $411 million today. Beyond its enormous cost, the film required three years to complete, with production stretching from 1960 to 1963 amid repeated delays and internal conflicts. It ultimately became a major commercial disappointment.
Another notable production from the period was Robert Rossen's Alexander the Great, starring Richard Burton and Claire Bloom, released nearly half a century before Oliver Stone's Alexander. Like other films on the subject, it chronicled the ambitions of the Macedonian conqueror who sought to expand his empire across the known world. Shot in Spain with approximately 6,000 extras, the film demonstrated Rossen's skillful use of CinemaScope and large-scale battle choreography, although, like many epics of the era, its dramatic storytelling proved less compelling than its visual spectacle.
A Genre Reborn
The commercial failure of Cleopatra did not immediately end Hollywood's fascination with historical epics. The 1960s still produced ambitious works such as Jules Dassin's Phaedra (1960), Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus (1960), and Anthony Mann's The Fall of the Roman Empire. Afterward, however, Hollywood largely abandoned the genre, returning to it only sporadically.
Among these productions, Spartacus and The Fall of the Roman Empire remain two of the finest examples of historical epic filmmaking. Kubrick's Spartacus transformed the story of Roman gladiatorial slavery into a powerful narrative of freedom, anchored by a commanding performance from Kirk Douglas. Anthony Mann's film, meanwhile, offered a sweeping examination of the Roman imperial court during the years preceding the empire's decline.
Inspired by Edward Gibbon's monumental history, Mann collaborated with producer Samuel Bronston—following their earlier success on El Cid—to create a serious, intellectually ambitious historical drama whose scope and gravitas rivaled those of Spartacus.
The genre would remain largely dormant until Ridley Scott revived it with Gladiator in 2000. Scott subsequently reaffirmed his commitment to historical cinema through films including Kingdom of Heaven, Napoleon, and Gladiator II. Together, these works testify to the director's enduring fascination with history and with the expansive cinematic canvas required to bring it vividly to life.
Originally published in Asharq Al-Awsat
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