How did a bookshop inspire Anthony Mann's historical epic?

After finishing the production of El Cid, film director Anthony Mann visited Hatchards bookshop where he discovered a multi-volume historical work by Edward Gibbon. Inspired by what he read, Mann pitched a film adaptation of the history to producer Samuel Bronston. This bookstore encounter directly led to the creation of the 1964 epic film The Fall of the Roman Empire.

What we know

• Upon finishing the filming of El Cid, Anthony Mann saw a copy of Edward Gibbon's six-volume series inside Hatchards bookshop. [3]
• After discovering the book at Hatchards, Mann pitched a film adaptation of Gibbon's work to producer Samuel Bronston, who then agreed to produce the project. [3]
• Samuel Bronston relocated his studio production to Madrid in 1959 and spearheaded several productions of historical epics. [4]
• The Fall of the Roman Empire was a financial failure at the box office, contributing to Samuel Bronston declaring bankruptcy by June 1964. [3, 4]

Where to go next

• a case in pointWhat was the plot of The Fall of the Roman Empire?
• what caused itHow did Samuel Bronston finance his Hollywood epics?
• the bigger pictureWho were the primary stars of El Cid?
• compared withWhat cinematic style defined Anthony Mann's Westerns with James Stewart?
• whereWhere was The Fall of the Roman Empire filmed?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a Vatican photography job connect to Hollywood historical epics?After leaving Hollywood, producer Samuel Bronston worked as a photographer for the Vatican and produced documentary films before returning to launch massive historical epics in Madrid.

Sources

• [1]Anthony Mann (Wikidata Q269975) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Anthony Mann · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]The Fall of the Roman Empire (film) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Samuel Bronston · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Oscar Wilde · CC BY-SA 4.0