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Fabiola

  • 19491949
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
227
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Michèle Morgan and Henri Vidal in Fabiola (1949)
  • Drama
  • History
In ancient Rome a love story blossoms between Fabiola, daughter of a senator, and Rhual, a Gallic gladiator. After Fabiola's father is killed, the Romans blame the Christians and the persecu... Read allIn ancient Rome a love story blossoms between Fabiola, daughter of a senator, and Rhual, a Gallic gladiator. After Fabiola's father is killed, the Romans blame the Christians and the persecution begins. Rhual confesses to being a Christian, is accused of the murder and sentenced ... Read allIn ancient Rome a love story blossoms between Fabiola, daughter of a senator, and Rhual, a Gallic gladiator. After Fabiola's father is killed, the Romans blame the Christians and the persecution begins. Rhual confesses to being a Christian, is accused of the murder and sentenced to fight to the death in the arena.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
227
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Alessandro Blasetti
  • Writers
    • Nicholas Patrick Wiseman(novel)
    • Alessandro Blasetti(story)
    • Mario Chiari(story)
  • Stars
    • Michèle Morgan
    • Henri Vidal
    • Michel Simon
Top credits
  • Director
    • Alessandro Blasetti
  • Writers
    • Nicholas Patrick Wiseman(novel)
    • Alessandro Blasetti(story)
    • Mario Chiari(story)
  • Stars
    • Michèle Morgan
    • Henri Vidal
    • Michel Simon
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 5User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos18

    Fabiola (1949)
    Michèle Morgan in Fabiola (1949)
    Fabiola (1949)
    Massimo Girotti in Fabiola (1949)
    Michèle Morgan and Henri Vidal in Fabiola (1949)
    Henri Vidal in Fabiola (1949)
    Henri Vidal in Fabiola (1949)
    Michèle Morgan and Henri Vidal in Fabiola (1949)
    Massimo Girotti in Fabiola (1949)
    Michèle Morgan in Fabiola (1949)
    Michèle Morgan and Henri Vidal in Fabiola (1949)
    Fabiola (1949)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Michèle Morgan
    Michèle Morgan
    • Fabiolaas Fabiola
    Henri Vidal
    Henri Vidal
    • Rhualas Rhual
    Michel Simon
    Michel Simon
    • Senator Fabius Severusas Senator Fabius Severus
    Louis Salou
    Louis Salou
    • Fulvius Petroniusas Fulvius Petronius
    Elisa Cegani
    • Siraas Sira
    Massimo Girotti
    Massimo Girotti
    • Sebastianas Sebastian
    Gino Cervi
    Gino Cervi
    • Quadratusas Quadratus
    Sergio Tofano
    Sergio Tofano
    • Lucianoas Luciano
    Rina Morelli
    Rina Morelli
    • Faustinaas Faustina
    Paolo Stoppa
    Paolo Stoppa
    • Proconsul Manlius Valerianas Proconsul Manlius Valerian
    Carlo Ninchi
    Carlo Ninchi
    • Galbaas Galba
    Franco Interlenghi
    Franco Interlenghi
    • Corvinoas Corvino
    Guglielmo Barnabò
    Guglielmo Barnabò
    • Antoniano Letoas Antoniano Leto
    Aldo Silvani
    Aldo Silvani
    • Cassianoas Cassiano
    Silvana Jachino
    Silvana Jachino
    • Lucillaas Lucilla
    Umberto Sacripante
    • Funzionario dell'annonaas Funzionario dell'annona
    Goliarda Sapienza
    • Ceciliaas Cecilia
    Virgilio Riento
    • Pietroas Pietro
    • Director
      • Alessandro Blasetti
    • Writers
      • Nicholas Patrick Wiseman(novel)
      • Alessandro Blasetti(story) (screenplay)
      • Mario Chiari(story) (screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    In ancient Rome a love story blossoms between Fabiola, daughter of a senator, and Rhual, a Gallic gladiator. After Fabiola's father is killed, the Romans blame the Christians and the persecution begins. Rhual confesses to being a Christian, is accused of the murder and sentenced to fight to the death in the arena. —Giancarlo Cairella <vertigo@imdb.com>
    • ancient rome
    • bare chested male
    • bare chested male bondage
    • tied to a tree
    • saint sebastian
    • 13 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Goddess of Love in a City of Sin!
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • History
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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.
    • Alternate versions
      Italian version runs 164 minutes; shortened (96 minutes) and re-edited English-dubbed version was released in the USA in 1951.
    • Connections
      Featured in Le viager (1972)

    User reviews5

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Lions,Togas and Christians!
    For anyone who thinks that SPARTACUS and GLADIATOR are the definitive Hollywood accounts of Ancient Rome vs. Early Christians and the downtrodden I heartily recommend Alessandro Basetti's 1949 black and white Italian production of FABIOLA. Released in the Unites States a few years after its Italian premiere, the picture unfortunately was hacked to pieces so that it could afford more daily showings in theaters. What once was a nearly 3 hour epic was reduced to an incomprehensible 90 minutes. Nevertheless, the fairly large scope of the film manages to break through and the striking production design and visuals (even on a poor print in a less than satisfactory DVD transfer) somewhat make up for a severely truncated screenplay. A well-spoken English narration does help to tie the loose ends together. One can only imagine what the original cut of this film was like, but from the skeletal remains on view I suspect this was an above average sword and sandal epic.
    helpful•6
    2
    • mpofarrell
    • Nov 23, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 1, 1951 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Italy
      • France
    • Language
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • The Fighting Gladiator
    • Filming locations
      • Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Rome, Lazio, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Franco London Films
      • Universalia Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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