Wednesday, October 25
TCM Spotlight: Architecture in the Movies (The Edifice Complex?)

Reconstructing History

8:00 PM The Alamo ('60)
11:30 PM The Fall of the Roman Empire ('64)
2:45 AM Quo Vadis ('51)
5:45 AM Marie Antoinette ('38)

“You will be worthy of the spectacle—
as the spectacle is worthy of you.”
—Petronius (Leo Genn) to Nero (Peter Ustinov) in Quo Vadis? (MGM, 1951)

The period film, also known as the costume drama, is a genre involving extravagant sets, lavish costumes, inflated budgets and casts of thousands. Set against a background of grandeur and spectacle, the epic recreates—and often rewrites—history.

The historical saga of the battle to defend the Republic of Texas was detailed in director and star John Wayne’s (Davy Crockett) The Alamo (8:00 PM); the legendary San Antonio mission was meticulously reconstructed from original blueprints of a Texas ranch. The rise of Christianity and decline of Roman domination is the story of The Fall of the Roman Empire (11:30 PM). Featuring a star-studded cast, the film was shot on location in Spain and features a full-scale reproduction of the Roman Forum. Roman history repeats itself in full splendor with the epic Quo Vadis? (2:45 AM), as the account of Nero’s reign showcases the spectacular images of Circus Maximus and breathtaking scenes of the burning of Rome. The story of one of the most infamous women in history who did not fare any better than Nero: Marie Antoinette (5:45 AM), starring Norma Shearer, is the tale of the ill-fated Queen of France who proclaimed “let them eat cake.” The film boasts nearly 100 opulent 18th-century sets.