''Nero and the Burning of Rome'' ( it, Nerone e Messalina) is a 1953 Italian epic

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

film directed by

Primo Zeglio Primo Zeglio (8 July 1906 – 30 October 1984) was an Italian film director and writer. Selected filmography * ''The Mask of Cesare Borgia'' (1941) *'' Accadde a Damasco'' (1943) *''Febbre'' (1943) *'' Genoveffa di Brabante'' (1947) *'' Nero ...

and loosely based on real life events of Roman emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

. It was based on the novel ''Nerone e Messalina'' (c.1949) by Harry Bluhmen.

Plot

Although Valeria

Messalina Valeria Messalina (; ) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation ...

makes a brief appearance in the film, the Messalina of the film's Italian title is Nero's third wife, Statilia Messalina, who appears towards the end. The dissolute Nero has come to the imperial throne through the machinations of his mother

Julia Agrippina Julia Agrippina (6 November AD 15 – 23 March AD 59), also referred to as Agrippina the Younger, was Roman empress from 49 to 54 AD, the fourth wife and niece of Emperor Claudius. Agrippina was one of the most prominent women in the Julio-Claud ...

, whom he later murders. Among his other prominent victims are his tutor

Seneca the Younger Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger (; 65 AD), usually known mononymously as Seneca, was a Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome, a statesman, dramatist, and, in one work, satirist, from the post-Augustan age of Latin literature. Seneca was born in ...

and his first two wives,

Claudia Octavia Claudia Octavia (late 39 or early 40 – June 9, AD 62) was a Roman empress. She was the daughter of the Emperor Claudius and Valeria Messalina. After her mother's death and father's remarriage to her cousin Agrippina the Younger, she became ...

and

Poppea Sabina Poppaea Sabina (AD 30 – 65), also known as Ollia, was a Roman empress as the second wife of the Emperor Nero. She had also been wife to the future emperor Otho. The historians of antiquity describe her as a beautiful woman who used intrigues ...

. One of his mistresses, the slave girl

Claudia Acte Claudia Acte was a freedwoman of ancient Rome who became a mistress of the emperor Nero. She came from Asia Minor and might have become a slave of the Emperor Claudius, following his expansion of the Roman Empire into Lycia and Pamphylia; or she mi ...

, is portrayed in the film as a Christian who introduces the emperor to their teachings and flees on learning her lover's identity. During this upheaval, Nero overturns a lamp, which leads to the burning of Rome. This he blames on the Christians and orders a general persecution, in which Acte dies. When the populace eventually rises against him, Nero takes refuge with one of his freedmen and is killed by a slave.ComingSoon.it
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Cast

Gino Cervi Luigi Cervi (3 May 1901 – 3 January 1974), better known as Gino Cervi (), was an Italian actor. He was best known for portraying Peppone in a series of comedies based on the character ''Don Camillo'' (1952-1965), and police detective Jules M ...

Paola Barbara Paola Barbara (22 July 1912 – 2 October 1989) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1935 and 1978. She was sometimes credited as Pauline Baards. Life and career Born in Rome as Paola Proto, after her fi ...

as Agrippina *

Yvonne Sanson Yvonne Sanson ( el, Υβόν Σανσόν; 29 August 1925 – 23 July 2003) was a Greek-Italian film actress. She appeared in 46 films between 1946 and 1972, mainly working in Italy. Born in Thessaloniki, Sanson was a naturalised Italian cit ...

as Stabilia Messalina *

Milly Vitale Camilla "Milly" Vitale (16 July 1933 – 2 November 2006) was an Italian actress. She was the daughter of Riccardo Vitale (Rome Opera House Director, deceased 1979) and choreographer Natasha Shidlowski Vitale (deceased 1994). She appeared in n ...

as Atte *

Jole Fierro Jole Fierro (22 November 1926 – 27 March 1988) was an Italian actress. Born in Salerno, Fierro made her debut in the early 1950s in the Neapolitan dialect theater, and shortly later she made her first appearances in films. In June 1954, she a ...

Poppaea Sabina Poppaea Sabina (AD 30 – 65), also known as Ollia, was a Roman empress as the second wife of the Emperor Nero. She had also been wife to the future emperor Otho. The historians of antiquity describe her as a beautiful woman who used intrigues ...

Steve Barclay Stephen Paul Barclay (born 3 May 1972) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care since October 2022, having previously held the position from July to September 2022 under Boris Johnson. He served a ...

as charioteer *

Ludmilla Dudarova Ludmilla Dudarova was a Turkish-born Romanian film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as fi ...

Valeria Messalina Valeria Messalina (; ) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputatio ...

Carlo Giustini Carlo Giustini (born 4 May 1923), sometimes credited as Carlo Justini, is an Italian retired actor. Life and career Born in Viterbo, the son of a railway employee, Giustini debuted at twenty years old in ''The Materassi Sisters'', after having ...

Britannicus Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus (12 February AD 41 – 11 February AD 55), usually called Britannicus, was the son of Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Valeria Messalina. For a time he was considered his father's heir, but that ...

* Lamberto Picasso as

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

Renzo Ricci Renzo Ricci (27 September 1899 – 20 October 1978) was an Italian stage and film actor. He was also a noted theatre director. Ricci played the title role in Roberto Rossellini's 1961 film ''Garibaldi''.Bondanella, Peter. ''The Films of Roberto R ...

Petronius Gaius Petronius Arbiter"Gaius Petronius Arbiter"
Carlo Tamberlani Carlo Tamberlani (11 March 1899 – 5 August 1980) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 127 films between 1931 and 1976. He was born in Salice Salentino, Italy and died in Subiaco, Italy. His brother Nando Tamberlani was also an actor. ...

Tigellinus Ofonius Tigellinus (c. 10 – 69) was a prefect of the Roman imperial bodyguard, known as the Praetorian Guard, from 62 until 68, during the reign of emperor Nero. Tigellinus gained imperial favour through his acquaintance wit ...

(credited as Renzo Tamberlani) *

Silvana Jachino Silvana Jachino (2 February 1916 – 28 August 2004) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 65 films between 1936 and 1970. She was born in Milan, Italy and died in Rimini, Italy. Partial filmography * ''Cuor di vagabondo'' (1936) * ...

Memmo Carotenuto Memmo Carotenuto (23 August 1908 – 23 December 1980) was an Italian actor. He appeared in 125 films between 1941 and 1980. Selected filmography *''The Wedding Trip'' (1969) * ''Assassination in Rome'' (1965) * ''Male Companion'' (1964) ...

Elsa Vazzoler Elsa Vazzoler (10 May 1920 – 8 August 1989) was an Italian stage, film, television and voice actress. Life and career Born in Treviso, Vazzoler started studying acting and ballet after finishing high school. She debuted with dialect amateur ...

Cesare Bettarini Cesare Bettarini (17 October 1901 – 19 October 1975) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in a number of productions during the Fascist era, including the 1935 drama '' Like the Leaves'' (1935).Caldiron p.46 Selected filmography * '' The Wed ...

Release

''Nero and the Burning of Rome'' was released in Italy on 28 August 1953.

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links

*
''Nero and the Burning of Rome''
at

Variety Distribution Variety Distribution is an Italian-based film distribution company. It distributes Italian films worldwide, produced from the 1930s onward. History Variety Distribution (formerly Variety Film and Variety Communications) has been in the film ...

1953 films 1950s biographical films Peplum films Italian biographical films Films directed by Primo Zeglio Films set in ancient Rome Films set in the Roman Empire Films set in the 1st century Depictions of Nero on film Biographical films about Roman emperors Cultural depictions of Agrippina the Younger Cultural depictions of Messalina Cultural depictions of Poppaea Sabina Cultural depictions of Seneca the Younger Sword and sandal films Italian historical drama films 1950s historical drama films Italian black-and-white films 1950s Italian films {{adventure-film-stub