Sign of the Gladiator

Original title: Nel segno di Roma

1959
1h 38m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, revolts against Rome and defeats the Roman troops - but she makes a big mistake when she falls in love with enemy officer Marco Valerio.Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, revolts against Rome and defeats the Roman troops - but she makes a big mistake when she falls in love with enemy officer Marco Valerio.Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, revolts against Rome and defeats the Roman troops - but she makes a big mistake when she falls in love with enemy officer Marco Valerio.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.3/10

372

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
Officials at the American distributor, American-International Pictures, decided that "Sign of the Gladiator" was a more exciting title than "Sign of Rome," even though there are no gladiators in the film. They simply had one of the characters make reference to "gladiator" in a line of the dubbed dialog,

Goofs
In the desert scenes there are often agaves which were introduced from the Americas only after 1500.

Quotes
Zenobia, Queen of Palmira: If you have lied, the tigers at the temple will have a rich repast.
Marcus Valerius, Roman Consul: Your tigers will have to wait in vain.

Connections
Featured in Kolossal - i magnifici Macisti (1977)

Soundtracks
Xenobia
(end title song, US dubbed version)
(1959)
Music by Dominic Frontiere
Lyrics by Milton Raskin
Sung by Bill Lee
Played by the Al Simms Sextet

User reviews10

Review

Featured review

8/10

Spectacular monument to Queen Zenobia of Palmyra

Only ruins remain of Palmyra today, but it was once one of the greatest cities in the east dominating the eastern part of the Roman empire from Ancyra down to Egypt. Zenobia was always the object of myths and legends, she was not stupid but highly cultivated, and Palmyra was second only to Alexandria for culture and civilisation. However, Rome would not allow it but had to swallow it all down in its own imperial preponderance and bring Zenobia a prisoner to Rome. There she was apparently granted some freedom and worthy sustenance unto her dying day. The film makes a romance out of it, making a Roman soldier a prisoner in Palmyra, whom Queen Zenobia falls in love with, thus complicating both the lives of herself and her Roman lover. Eventually they find each other in peace at Rome. The film is a monumental typical Peplum feature with very much pomp and circumstance and a great battle in the end. The music tries to equal the pompous ostentation without succeeding. It is no more than a superficial entertainment with Anita Ekberg at the centre of it with plenty of space for the admiration of her beauty, but she was never a great actress. Her best performances were in totally different genres.