Dreaming of Empire: Visions of Rome and Imperialist Ideology in Twenty-First Century Cinema

The blockbuster film Gladiator kickstarted a new wave of ancient historical epics. Some of these, following Gladiator’s lead, drew explicit parallels between ancient Rome and contemporary America – notably Centurion (2010) and The Eagle (2011). The Rome-America analogy allowed Gladiator and its progeny to critique American society, and these critiques have received substantial scholarly attention. Given that these films were produced while America was waging controversial wars, it is unsurprising that one of the critiques they chiefly employ – and one of those scholars have most readily seized upon – is that of American imperialism. Gladiator, Centurion, and The Eagle all present themselves as stolidly anti-imperialist. Yet these films often contradict or even negate their anti-imperialist impulses. In this paper, I examine the ways in which the films reign in their critiques. I argue that they advocate militarism and expansionism, obfuscate the nature of empire, divide barbarian subjects into savage enemies and Romanized friends, and depict empire as a force for good. Cinema is one of the chief venues through which American society encounters the ancient world. Cinematic antiquity, in turn, becomes a mirror for the society that produces it. This paper is intended to challenge traditional interpretations of these films and reveal how American society sees both ancient Rome and itself