PART ONE of TWO THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE 1964 film Directed by: Anthony Mann The transition from the reign of the wise Emperor Marcus Aurelius to the corrupt rule of his son, the film draws on Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations to explore themes of stoicism, loyalty, and the fragility of imperial succession. The film has since gained appreciation for its intellectual ambition. WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE The decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire was driven by a confluence of internal weaknesses a