Fabiola (1949)

In ancient Rome a love story blossoms between Fabiola, daughter of a senator, and Rhual, a gallic gladiator. When Fabiola's father is killed, the Romans blame the Christians and the ... See full summary »

Director:

Alessandro Blasetti

Writers:

Nicholas Patrick Wiseman (novel), Alessandro Blasetti (story)

Stars:

Michèle Morgan, Henri Vidal, Michel Simon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michèle Morgan	...	Fabiola
Henri Vidal	...	Rhual
Michel Simon	...	Senator Fabius Severus
Louis Salou	...	Fulvius Petronius
Elisa Cegani	...	Sira
Massimo Girotti	...	Sebastian
Gino Cervi	...	Quadratus
Sergio Tofano	...	Luciano
Rina Morelli	...	Faustina
Paolo Stoppa	...	Proconsul Manlius Valerian
Carlo Ninchi	...	Galba
Franco Interlenghi	...	Corvino
Guglielmo Barnabò	...	Antoniano Leto
Aldo Silvani	...	Cassiano
Silvana Jachino	...	Lucilla

Storyline

In ancient Rome a love story blossoms between Fabiola, daughter of a senator, and Rhual, a gallic gladiator. When Fabiola's father is killed, the Romans blame the Christians and the persecution begins. Rhual confesses to be a christian and is accused of the murder and sentenced to fight to death in the arena.

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Plot Keywords:

ancient rome | bare chested male | bare chested male bondage | tied to a tree | saint sebastian | 

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Taglines:

Goddess of Love in a City of Sin!

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Did You Know?

Trivia

British Lion submitted the 97-minute US version to the British Board of Film Censors on 4 June 1951 and were given an "A" certificate, suitable for children if accompanied by an adult. Following a test run at the Savoy, Dublin from 31 August 1951 (which was reported to have broken the house attendance record), Fabiola's UK public premiere was held at the Grand, Southport from 13 September 1951. After further sneak previews in Jersey and Nottingham the film finally reached the capital on 30 November 1951 with a three-week run at the London Pavilion. British Lion used the original title "Fabiola" throughout the 1950s, but on 3 November 1960 New Realm re-submitted the film to the BBFC under a new title "The Fighting Gladiator and Fabiola," hoping to cash in on the Italian epic craze. However, only ABC's Empire in Longton seems to have announced the full, cumbersome title. Everywhere else shortened it to simply "The Fighting Gladiator." As such it continued to get sporadic showings up to the end of 1966.

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Alternate Versions

Italian version runs 164 minutes; shortened (96 minutes) and re-edited English-dubbed version was released in the USA in 1951.

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Connections

Featured in Lost Civilizations: Rome: The Ultimate Empire (1995)

User Reviews

Remembrance of Things Past

After seeing "Gladiator", I was thinking about all the other gladiator movies I've seen over the years and I remembered "Fabiola." I must have seen the movie in 1952 or thereabouts and its stuck with me ever since. It must have done something right - I remember being in love with Michelle Morgan and Henri Vidal. The fight scenes are o.k. See it if you get a chance.

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

1 June 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fabiola

Filming Locations:

Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Franco London Films, Universalia Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

164 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1