Factual error: In reality, Commodus did not die in the arena - he was strangled in his apartments in 192 A.D. by an athlete who was hired by a group of Senators conspiring against him.
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
1 factual error
Directed by: Anthony Mann
Starring: James Mason, Alec Guinness, Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd
Factual error: In reality, Commodus did not die in the arena - he was strangled in his apartments in 192 A.D. by an athlete who was hired by a group of Senators conspiring against him.
Victorinus: We're in command now Livius, the throne is yours.
Senator: Gaius Mettelus Livius, the people are asking for you.
Livius: You would not find me very suitable, because my first official act would be to have you all crucified.
Trivia: While the "auction" to choose a new emperor actually did occur, it did not happen immediately after the death of Commodus, but after the death of Pertinax, Commodus' immediate successor.