The last Legion
The Last Legion (original title: The Last Legion ) is a historical film from 2007 . The film is loosely based on the novel by the Italian writer Valerio Massimo Manfredi .
action
Rome , in the year 460: On the eve of the coronation ceremony of the twelve-year-old Romulus Augustulus as the new emperor of Rome, the Germanic commander of the Goths , Odoacer , appears in Rome. He demands a third of Italy from Orestes , the father of the designated Caesar , which is said to have been promised to him and his men as a reward for supporting the Roman legions. Orestes refuses. Thereupon Odoacer openly threatens Romulus' death with reference to the last murdered emperors.
The next day, Romulus is placed under the protection of Aurelius, the commander of the fourth legion, by his father. However, this was of little use when the barbarian army of Odoacer conquered Rome shortly afterwards. While Orestes and his wife Julia are killed, Odoacer banishes his son to Capri together with his teacher Ambrosinus . Here Romulus discovers Julius Caesar's sword and uncovered an ancient prophecy according to which the blade would only be in the hand of a true ruler.
With Aurelius' help, who freed Romulus and Ambrosinus on Capri, the group tries to flee to the Eastern Roman Empire in Constantinople in order to obtain asylum there. The Eastern Roman Emperor refuses to support, however, and they flee to Britain , where the “Ninth Legion” (an allusion to the historical Legio VIIII Hispana ) is believed to be the last unit devoted to the emperor.
In Britain, however, it turns out that the legionaries of Rome believed they had been abandoned for a long time and therefore built up peasant livelihoods. When the Anglo-Saxon ruler Vortegern was told that the rightful emperor was staying in Britain and that he had the legendary sword of Julius Caesar in his possession, a decision was made. The former soldiers of the Ninth Legion join Romulus and Aurelius and ultimately decide the battle in favor of the Romans.
At the end of the film, Ambrosinus turns out to be Merlin, who is considered the guardian of Caesar's sword and now serves as a teacher to a new boy: Arthur . Based on the legend about Excalibur (in the film Caesar's sword bears an inscription, of which only "E .. S .. Calibur ..." can be seen in the end), this is a (very far-fetched) version of Romulus Augustulus as Uther Pendragon and Arthur offered as his son.
Background information
The final Legion was produced on locations in Slovakia , Italy and Tunisia on a budget of $ 67 million . The plot has little in common with historical reality.
Ferdinand Kingsley, son of Ben Kingsley, and Mark Sangster, father of the leading actor Thomas Sangster, are represented in supporting roles. The actors Thomas Sangster, Owen Teale, Iain Glen, James Cosmo, Robert Pugh, Nonso Anozie, Murray McArthur and Alexander Siddig have also played in the HBO series Game of Thrones since 2011 .
Reviews
Angela Zierow wrote in TV Digital on August 24, 2007 that nothing more than a brisk hacking and stabbing was to be expected in front of an ancient backdrop. A completely outrageous plot around the supposed beginnings of the Arthurian legend , which sometimes exudes the B-film charm of Italian sandal films , is criticized in particular . The film is not enough for a return to the epoch-making sandal cinema, but an evening with light cinema entertainment for a younger audience is guaranteed, according to the critic.
The Lexicon of International Films ruled: “At the interface between the fall of the Roman Empire and the myth of Britain's creation, the historical film offers adventurous and harmless entertainment. Despite the top-class cast, the actors' performances sometimes defy description. "
Voice actor
The voice actors for the German version:
- Aurelius: Tom Vogt
- Ambrosinus: Peter Matić
- Romulus Augustulus: Christian Zeiger
- Mira: Maria Koschny
- Odoacer: Gerald Paradise
- Wulfila: Tobias Kluckert
- Vortgyn: Pure beauty
- Nestor: Peter Reinhardt
- Kustennin: Roland Hemmo
- Demetrius: Kim Hasper
- Batiatus: Dennis Schmidt-Foss
- Vatrenus: Bernd Vollbrecht
- Theodorus Andronikos: Marcus Off
- Orestes: Thomas Nero Wolff
- Flavia: Christin Marquitan
- Hrothgar: Jan Spitzer
- Tertius: Rainer Doering
- Ygraine: Laura Elßel
Others
The films Centurion from 2010 and The Eagle of the Ninth Legion from 2011 also refer to the ninth legion .
Web links
- The Last Legion in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Certificate of Release for The Last Legion . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , June 2007 (PDF; test number: 110 457 K).
- ↑ Age rating for The Last Legion . Youth Media Commission .
- ^ Journal film-dienst and Catholic Film Commission for Germany (eds.), Horst Peter Koll and Hans Messias (ed.): Lexikon des Internationale Films - Filmjahr 2007 . Schüren Verlag, Marburg 2008. ISBN 978-3-89472-624-9
- ↑ synchronkartei.de: The last legion. Retrieved July 14, 2015 .