Néron

An early historical spectacle, Nerone is a forerunner of the likes of Cabiria which would five years later take the film world by storm. Today, it might look stagey, with some incredibly over-the-top acting at times, but it holds the interest more for what it signifies than the factually inaccurate story it tells. The costume and set design are far superior to most other contemporary films, giving at least some impression that the events we watch on-screen are actually unfolding in Ancient Rome rather than in a Turin film studio.

As you'd expect, Nero's a bit of a cad. He ditches his slightly dumpy wife Octavia when the younger Poppea catches his eye without a second thought, and then allows himself to be talked into killing the ex to clear the way for Poppea to become his new empress. So what we might possibly have here, in the form of Poppea, is cinema's first femme fatale - I certainly can't think of an earlier one.

As others have mentioned, the film is an uneasy mix of hokum punctuated by brief moments of artistic highlights. I certainly didn't find it as dull as some others seem to have done but, having said that, can see how this would chiefly be of interest to film historians and hopelessly completist film buffs like me...