From: evawolves@yahoo.com   
      
   While I agree Stephen Boyd as not a good choice looking back in hindsight the   
   man is actually a very capable actor. There's a reason why his performance as   
   Massala n Ben-Hurt is still seen as some of the greatest villainry ever n   
   cinema. The problem with    
   Boyd IMO is that he lacked experience in a  lead role esp in a big epic like   
   this. He may not be the best actor as how he as unable to make a comeback in   
   Hollywood but later roles in European cinema still showed he had it as an   
   actor.   
      
   As for the casting of the female lead, while Natalie Wood was a great acress I   
   do not think she'd be able to handle Fall of the Roman Empire esp with its   
   script and other flaws. She lacked experience in historical epics and was too   
   used to other genres.   
      
      
   The casting of Sophia Loren was a completely obvious one even looking back in   
   hindsight for how weak it was compared to the film. SOphia Loren as the first   
   non-English actress to win the Best Actress in the Oscar and more importantly   
   than anything else,    
   she had worked for the producer of the movie Samuel Bronston for years in a   
   couple of box office hits. So even with all the mistakes made with the film, I   
   wouldn't be surprised if Samuel still chose Sophia Loren. Esp since she isn't   
   even weak in terms of    
   her acting in the movie since her resume goe far beyond Boyd both before the   
   film and afterwards and does brilliance n later stuff like Man of La MAncha   
   wth Peter O'Toole......   
      
   The bigger issue is the very weak acting direction. Its not the worst but its   
   not strong enough. By itself it isn't bad but hen combined with the script and   
   other flaws of the movie combined with troubled somewhat rushed production and   
   esp with how    
   despite being legitimately skilled actors both Boyd and Loren are not high   
   enough caliber esp n proportion to the movie's massive production values and   
   epic scale and the factor they are the leads to make up for weak direction on   
   their own, it devastates    
    the film's quality. Add to the relatively weak (compared to other romance   
   movies like Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finley in Two For the Road) onscreen   
   portrayal of Livius and Lucilla Romane hich makes up a core premise behind the   
   movie it was no surprised    
   the movie underperformed.   
      
   If I were to replace the lead, Peter O'Toole is the BEST MALE lead. NO need to   
   change Sophia Loren........ Because O'Toole basically acted as the same   
   archetype that Livius as in the Miniseries Masada where he plays Filvius Silva   
   but he also played the    
   disillusioned idealist to legendary levels in his breakout role as Lawrence of   
   Arabia (considered to this day as one of the greatest movie performances ever   
   despite O'Toole not ultimately winning in the Oscar nominations). Add in his   
   role as King Henry    
   in The Lion of the Winter (also nominated for best actor and it was an upset   
   he lost in the Academy Awards) where family issues and political struggle is   
   the core o the story (even if he played the role of a father and not brother)   
   and the role of Livius    
   is perfect for O'Toole even with the flawed script and everything else......   
      
   And O'Toole is why there s no need to replace Sophia Loren-another widely   
   praised performance is his role as Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha outside of   
   singing bits where Sophia is his lead lady. Despite the story not being a   
   direct romance Sophia and    
   Peter has incredble chemistry and breathtaking performances. O'Toole in the   
   movie doesn't spend his time wooing Loren and Loren asn' even interested ina    
   romance. But the chemistry of sexual tensions is there and you begin to see   
   hot brain wires as they    
   ineract together. The scrip has Sophia fall for O'Toole's role in the end but   
   taht isn't the focus of the story unlike Fall of the Roman Empire--yet the   
   chemistry soo perfect you feel hot sizzzles between them by their final scenes   
   together.   
      
   So with a story focused on romance and esp epic scale, O'Toole would not only   
   make up BOyd's underwhelmng perfoormances but the romance between Livius and   
   Lucilla will truly flourish if Loren is casted wth a performer as strong as he   
   is. Esp since irl O'   
   Tool has a power to charm legendarily gorgeous women including those who don't   
   end up romantically interested with him or even see him as their physical type   
   such as Audrey Hepburn.  Sophia crtaily thought he had charm in La Mancha and   
   e are not even    
   counting the fact irl he as a womanizer..............   
      
   I can go on and on but I'll stop because I really lack aith people will   
   respond to this post esp since this is a 10 year old discussion. Hopefully   
   someone replies and I can send more 2 cents!   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)