Anthony Mann (June 30, 1906 – April 29, 1967) was an American actor and film director.
Born Emil Anton Bundsmann in the Point Loma area of San Diego, Mann was the son of an Austrian immigrant, Emile Theodore Bundsmann, and Bertha Waxelbaum of Macon, Georgia.
Mann started out as an actor, appearing in plays off-Broadway in New York City. In 1938, he moved to Hollywood, where he joined the Selznick International Pictures.
Mann became an assistant director in 1942, directing low-budget assignments for RKO and Republic Pictures.
Mann was respected for his acute visual sensitivity toward the American Western landscape, effortlessly blending natural vistas with human drama. Mann’s dramas verged on classical tragedy, often showing anguished heroes attempting to resolve personal pain and confusion.
In 1967, Mann died from a heart attack in Berlin, Germany while filming the spy thriller A Dandy in Aspic. The film was completed by the film’s star, Laurence Harvey… read more
PS: Don't miss the scene in which Sofia Lauren is followed through the streets of a partying Rome by Zardoz.
Great sets! Particularly "Fort Apache, the Rhine" in the first hour. But with Anthony Mann at the helm & Yakima Canute leading the second unit, it seems more like a western with chariots. The cinematography, casting, costumes, stunts, writing etc. are mundane to the point of tedium. About the only thing historically accurate here is that, like the fall of Rome, this movie goes on and on.
the detailed sets, Guiness and his 'Son' were great but everything else really was just booooooooooring. The bidding for the throne was maybe cool a little bit. I hate how Aeurulius and the Roman Empire were made out to be a benevolent kingdom of love and acceptance only to be ruined by a greedy effeminite. And what kind of damn uniforms were those legionaries wearing?
Great work by Alec Guinness and Christopher Plummer but the rest is an egregious bore.
Great sets!
Particularly “Fort Apache, the Rhine” in the first hour. The Barbarian village toward the end is good too. By far the best work by the team that brought you “El Cid” and “55 Days… read review