Nero. Or the Fall of Rome. (1909)
"Nerone" (original title)

Roman emperor Nero is used to getting what he wants. He has grown tired of his wife Octavia, and has become infatuated with Poppea. He succeeds in making Poppea the new empress, but soon he... See full summary »

Director:

Luigi Maggi

Writers:

Decoroso Bonifanti (screenplay), Arrigo Frusta (screenplay)

Stars:

Alberto Capozzi, Lydia De Roberti, Luigi Maggi

Cast

Credited cast:
Alberto Capozzi
Lydia De Roberti
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Luigi Maggi
Mirra Principi
Ercole Vaser
Ernesto Vaser
Serafino Vite
Mario Voller-Buzzi

Storyline

Roman emperor Nero is used to getting what he wants. He has grown tired of his wife Octavia, and has become infatuated with Poppea. He succeeds in making Poppea the new empress, but soon he faces opposition from an outraged populace.

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Plot Keywords:

roman salute

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Genres:

Short | Drama

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Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

1 November 1909 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nero; or, The Burning of Rome

Company Credits

Production Co:

Società Anonima Ambrosio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

14 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Follows The Last Days of Pompeii (1908)

User Reviews

Interesting for Its Time

This film may only appeal to fans of early silent cinema, but I thought it was interesting. The story is simple, the scenes are all played in a continuous long shot and the acting is very broad. But these characteristics were typical of most other films of the period, and Nerone has a visual richness that is unusual for the time. Apparently the Italian producer Arturo Ambrosio was willing to invest much more money in sets and costumes than producers in other countries. What makes Nerone effective, though, is that the scenes are staged and photographed with a sense of drama. By today's standards the film may seem tame, but audiences of the period were thrilled by Italian spectacles like these, especially the later ones which were much longer and much more spectacular. The Italian films of this era set a new standard for production values, and influenced filmmakers all over the world, including D. W. Griffith.