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Those who know me well might ask why I didn’t seek out this film years ago - not only do I love historical epics, I love the films of director Anthony Mann. He forged his talents in film noir with classics such as Raw Deal and T-Men, directed a string of terrific psychological Westerns with Jimmy Stewart - Winchester ‘73, The Naked Spur, Bend Of The River, The Man From Laramie - and in the 1960’s he graduated to the epic film with El Cid, followed three years later by The Fall Of The Roman Empire. Without question, Mann is one of America’s most underrated directors.

According to Hollywood lore, super-producer Samuel Bronston wanted to reteam El Cid stars Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren for Fall Of The Roman Empire, but Heston declined. Feeling they had a top-notch cast otherwise - Alec Guinness, James Mason, Anthony Quayle, John Ireland, Omar Sharif (as the King of Armenia!) and newcomer Christopher Plummer - Bronston and Mann decided to cast Stephen Boyd, Heston’s nemesis in Ben-Hur, as their leading man, and this is the film’s Achilles’ Heel. Surrounding Boyd with such powerhouse actors only serves to diminish his performance, not elevate it. He’s earnest and stalwart, but the moment Mason or Guinness speak, Boyd is completely marginalized. And he’s a poor match for Sophia Loren, who was at the peak of her beauty here. Only an actor of Heston’s stature could have been a convincing love interest for her.

Nevertheless, the film does feature terrific performances by Alec Guinness, James Mason and company. And no expense was spared - they literally built the Roman Forum, and the sight of this massive set filled with thousands of extras will leave you in awe. It’s one of the most stunning physical productions I’ve ever seen, from the sets to costumes to the smallest trinket.

Spectacle aside, the film is literate, somber, and character-oriented. Dimitri Tiomkin’s score sets the tone from the very beginning with a dirge played on an organ. Unlike most epics, which usually grant the protagonists a pyrrhic victory at least, this film is about the decay of a once-great culture and the inevitable destruction of its people. Put simply, it’s not a fun-filled film for the entire family - but if you love a good old-fashioned historical epic, there’s a lot to enjoy in The Fall Of The Roman Empire despite its flaws.

Post Script: Gladiator stole everything from this movie. The only thing they did better was casting Russell Crowe as their leading man…

Exploding heads, white eyes, burnt corpses… welcome to the world of Scanners.

The plot? A homeless man with deadly telepathic abilities named Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) is picked up off the street by Dr. Paul Ruth (Patrick McGoohan). Vale learns that there are other telepaths like himself called ’scanners’ and is trained to use his abilities to kill Daryl Revok (Michael Ironside), the leader of an underground movement whose goal is to unite all scanners. As the film progresses, Vale not only uncovers a conspiracy to create more scanners, but learns the truth about his own mysterious past.

I was not an early admirer of director David Cronenberg. My admiration grew with time, and finally coalesced with his last two films - A History Of Violence and Eastern Promises. Weaned on Spielberg and Lucas, Cronenberg’s phantasmagorical vision made me uncomfortable and tested my patience. Which is exactly what it was meant to do. Much like David Lynch, he’s an acquired taste. Revisiting Scanners increased my appreciation for the film, but also proved that some of my complaints as a teenager were valid ones.

At this point in his career, Cronenberg was somewhere between an amateur and a professional. His direction is solid from a technical standpoint, but his sense of pacing is terrible. His script is intelligent and imaginative, but contains virtually no characterization (reportedly the film was greenlit without a completed script and rushed into production). This is also evident in his casting instincts. On one side we have Patrick McGoohan, Michael Ironside and Jennifer O’Neill… not too shabby. On the other side, we have Stephen Lack as our lead, and his performance is simply dreadful. In future films, Cronenberg would compensate for these weaknesses, but Scanners is rife with them.

It’s easy to see how Scanners was a success in its day. The violence is still shocking, and the concept is still intriguing. But without characters you can care about, it’s an empty exercise.