With multi-award-winning movies like Gladiator and Ben-Hur to the smaller, yet critically-beloved releases like Titus and Life of Brian, there are a wide variety of movies about Ancient Rome across multiple decades, budgets, and genres. The increased budget brought with it big risks, but the best movies set in Ancient Rome often ended up bringing awards recognition to the studios that took a chance on them. Movies set in the Roman Empire fall into the 'sword and sandal' movie subgenre, though the movies set in this specific corner of the ancient world are renowned for their tendency to have massive sets and budgets to match. Some of the most renowned movies in cinema history have been set in Ancient Rome, including some of the world's earliest blockbusters with headline-grabbing budgets, such as Ben Hur's then-recording-breaking $15 million dollar production cost in 1959. Outside of Shakespeare and adaptations of his work, Ancient Rome played a big role in massive studio movies since the early days of silent films. He led a revolt against Rome in 73, increasing his army from some seventy gladiators at the outset to several thousand rebels, but was eventually defeated by Crassus in 71 and crucified. Many people also think of William Shakespeare, as the Bard himself wrote frequently on the subject in his plays. Movies about Rome often bring to memory emperors, gladiators, Julius Caesar, and aristocrats.
