SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Cristi_Ciopron An epic with Cornel Wilde, Belinda Lee, Fausto Tozzi, and directed by Lionello de Felice.It belongs to the dramas, or the dramatically ambitious yarns with an international cast, not all the movies from this genre were fantasy for the kids, and it has an effective score. Cornel Wilde has been born to play a tribune of the Empire, his handsomeness was in the classical style, that of Marechal, Mature, R. Harrison, and here he delivered indeed a hallmark role.This romance has a few violent scenes: massacres on the battleground or in arena, tortures in the dungeons, with the aftermath of rapes, battle scenes. At least some of that world came to life, mostly by means of the scenes of violence, but also by the subplot of the centurion's romance, while the political intrigue seems more generic, and the Praetorians make a stronger impression than the senators. (My two s & s movies of predilection are '60s works by Leone and Siodmak; the 1st I have seen in a movie theater, perhaps 27 yrs ago, in another hot summer, the 2nd, set during Justinian's reign, I have seen twice on TV, and liked it both times. While I usually don't believe in non-American westerns, I also don't believe in non-European movies of this genre, because they naturally lack the sense of the events and atmosphere.) It's also an endearingly Pre-Conciliar movie, with legitimate Christian pride, and that standpoint has been carried on by the Italian TV biopics; also endearing is the 2nd leads' romance, of the Christian woman and the strongman Fausto Tozzi (Livia and Hadrian). The religious principles upheld by some of the characters suit apparently paradoxically the physical nature of the story. In other words, it's well to see that religious standpoint upheld in such a physical story.As a character, Constantine is very occidental, the action takes place in Germany, in Rome, and on the way between them.The violence is poignant. I liked the countryside scenes of Hadrian's tendering, Constantine's jump in front of the lion, the evening encounter of the Emperor with the usurper on the bridge; the battle at the river, after the meeting on the bridge followed by the vision, is intriguing and, like the whole movie, suspenseful. Some of the supporting roles are very good, such as the Christian girl, the Eastern usurper ….This movie means an enjoyable experience, and a possibility for the human eagerness. I felt glad that the lead has been given this role, that he played a Roman general and then Emperor (later canonized in the East), he deserved the opportunity and also proved worthy of it, regardless of whether the movie has been successful at the box office, or not. Movies like this should be analyzed without being untrue to the experience as given, without being unfair to it and tear it.

dbdumonteil Above average Italian sword and sandal:it is longer than the usual peplum (2 hours+),the settings are not cheap,and there's a solid American actor(and a director,one often forgets he made the memorable "naked prey"and the estimable "no blade of grass" )as the lead ,Cornel Wilde ,a Hollywood veteran ("leave her to Heaven" ,"Forever Amber","the greatest show on earth" and many more) .Constantin's mother's destiny is not exactly what we see in the movie:she was not a highborn lady (an innkeeper's daughter) and Constantin was not estranged from her till his victory over Maxence;but the movie introduces her with taste .To keep a story-like side,the screenwriters invent the tale of two unfortunate lovers Adrian and Livia (the delicate Christine Kaufman who played opposite Steve Reeves in Bonnard/Leone's doomed "last days of pompei"(1959) in which she was ...a young Christian of course!) Wilde is a convincing Constantin,he gets good support from the rest of the cast ;this is neither "Spartacus" ,nor "Cleopatra " ,but as an entertaining epic ,that's still good value

mstomaso This Italian production stars an American born in Hungary (Wilde), a German, and a Brit in key roles. American Cornell Wilde plays Constantine. Livia, a pious Christian woman loved by Constantine's friend Hadrian is played by German prodigy Christine Kauffman (at the age of 18, she was already a veteran). And the tragic British glamor- girl Belinda Lee plays Constantine's devoted wife Fausta (Lee died in a car crash shortly after this film was completed). The rest of the cast rounds out nicely with Italian actors, many of whom are quite good.The subject matter is, ultimately, the story of Christianity's (really Eastern Orthodoxy) rise from an obscure, persecuted cult to one of Europe's dominant religions through its adoption by one of the great Byzantine Roman conquerors - Emperor Constantine. Those who are not interested in this ideologically and historically important subject should probably avoid this film, because it does, at times, move pretty slowly.The story is epic and heroic following Constantine, Fausta, Hadrian and Livia from their young adulthood through to Constntine's rise to power and eventual unification of the empire. Constantine is depicted as a brilliant warrior, leader and strategist (which he certainly was) with stability and peace at the heart of his motivations (which is arguable). Much is left out of the story and much is changed. There is no clear indication of Constantine's formidable intellect and education, nor the ambiguity of his motives and alliances. Much of the complex intrigues of Constantine's times is ignored or altered in order to keep the story moving. Even so, the story can be a little hard to follow if you are not already familiar with the history.The production is generally very good. The acting is fine, though Wilde and Lee are both a little stiff at times, and don't seem to have developed the chemistry appropriate for their roles. Christine Kauffman (Livia), and Fausto Tozzi (Hadrian) are excellent in their important supporting roles. The sets are great, though the occasional and unnecessary bird's eye views of Rome (a miniature) are a bit silly. the costumes are impressively detailed, and the battles are well choreographed and filmed - though it is sometimes hard to figure out what is going on in the battle scenes.Considering the grand scale of the film, Constantine and the Cross is quite good. I enjoy historical fiction - even when it is more fiction than history - so - had I gone with my own personal enjoyment of this film, I would have given it a 7. It is a good effort to portray an important and under-examined subject. Well worth seeing by those interested in the history of religion, Christians, and movie fans who enjoy epic historical fiction.

jost-1 This film must have been spectacular in its day, just like the Roman Empire. Now its saturated colors are faded, its panoramic vision compressed. Cornel Wilde is still a hunk, but an aging one, and it's hard to believe he was the educated, fluent in several languages and fussy about his roles actor from his performance here, delivering some of his lines just like John Wayne might have done. There are several hokey overview shots of Rome, which are really of the scale model version from the Museum of History of the City of Rome, but otherwise the sets, costumes and production is a lavish one. The final battle at the Milvian Bridge is endless (you know who is going to win), but thanks to this victory, Christianity directs the course of Western History.