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In Italian with English subtitles. This is the original Italian cute at approximately 160 minutes. As this is an Italian production, the French actors were dubbed in Italian.
Directed by
Alessandro Blasetti. In the fourth century AD, the Roman Empire is crumbling and the growing cult of Christianity is to blame. A young Gaul, Rhual (
Henri Vidal), is a Christian, but he must keep this a secret if he is to realize his dream of becoming a gladiator in Rome. One evening, he discovers a beautiful young woman (
Michèle Morgan) alone on the seashore. It's love at first sight, but Rhual abandons her to take up his new position as a gladiator to a wealthy merchant, Fabien Sévère (
Michel Simon). He doesn't realize that the woman is Fabiola, Fabien's daughter. Shortly after, they meet again, at an evening festival hosted by Fabien. After beating his employer in a friendly fight, Rhual is mocked by Fabiola, although it's clear she's infatuated with him. Soon after making a speech claiming that, on his death, all of his Christian slaves will be set free, Fabien is murdered. His entourage immediately blame his death on the Christians, although suspicion soon turns to Rhual, who fled from Fabien's house just before the body was discovered. The incident fuels the public antagonism towards Christians, and a terrible bloodbath appears increasingly inevitable...
