Watching a film that was made in your travel destination can be a great way prepare for your upcoming visit. Well-made films can capture the spirit of the place and its people, especially films that artistically evoke a different period.
I have listed below five films and three television series with Rome connections that I can personally endorse. These cover a variety of genres and eras. However, while respecting the greatness of classic cinema, I limited my list to films made no more than a few years before today’s college students were born, with the oldest dating from 1999. Three of the films and two of the series are in English.
The films are listed below in chronological order. I included year of release, genre, and overall IMDB rating. I also added a sentence or two of background and context. As a bonus at the end of the list I included some other notables to consider and also some to avoid.
The Talented Mr. Ripley 1999 drama IMDB: 7.4/10
This psychological thriller set entirely in Italy was nominated for five Academy Awards and was loaded with Hollywood stars (Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman). There are some nice settings in Rome and seaside resort towns. This is part of a Hollywood/American-centric genre that uses Italian scenery as a backdrop for the adventures of Americans or Brits.
Gladiator 2000 epic 8.5
A classic swords-and-sandals historical epic about a general of ancient Rome who falls victim to palace intrigue, but then rises to glory again. It’s mostly not set in Rome, and the parts that are set there use computer generated imagery. But the Coliseum has never been rendered more impressively. Winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe.
Angels and Demons 2009 thriller 6.7
Tom Hanks stars in the sequel to the phenomenon that was The Da Vinci Code. A third one followed (see the Paris and Florence lists), and while none was particularly loved by the critics, this one was considered the best. This one is firmly set in Rome, with many iconic locations. But again the Catholic Church was strongly against everything about it and thus the church and Vatican scenes are all movie sets.
The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) 2013 drama 7.8
The leisured class and beautiful people of Rome, including some of the formerly beautiful, enjoy the partying lifestyle, but also look back on their life and ask themselves ‘what is the meaning of this?’. This visually stimulating art film was celebrated by critics, winning the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
Suburra 2015 noir 7.4
This film, based on a popular novel about organized crime in Rome, was an Italian production financed by Netflix, who then followed with a 10-episode sequel that was their first Italian-language series, Suburra: Blood on Rome (see TV shows below). Gangsters and politicians wrangle over a scheme to develop Las Vegas-style casinos in Ostia, the port city of Rome on the Tiber. Suburra was the name of a suburb of ancient Rome.
Suburra: Blood on Rome 2017-2020 crime drama 8.0
This prequel to the 2015 film was Netflix’s first Italian-language series. The focuses on power struggles between organized crime, politicians, and the church for a scheme to develop Las Vegas-style casinos in Ostia, the port city of Rome on the Tiber.
Borgia 2011-2014 period drama 7.8
The Borgias 2011-2013 period drama 7.9
Yes, there were indeed two different TV shows at the same time about the role of the Borgias in Renaissance Italy. The story periodically connects with Florence, but these are mostly set in Rome. The first of these shows is an English-language but largely French production starring mostly European actors. The second was a more Americanized, higher-budget version. Also, less historical in favor of style, spectacle, and entertainment.
Here are some other candidates to consider and not consider.
Ben-Hur 1959 epic 8.1
Ben-Hur 2016 epic 5.7
The story of the fall, rise, and even further rise of a Jewish noble set against Roman oppression in Judea. One of the most celebrated movies of all time, with one of most celebrated action scenes of all time. Winner of eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. To this day, middle school history classes still show the chariot race scene (at least my son’s sixth-grade teacher did in 2019). Before computerized special effects, the action had to be (nearly) real, and to pull this off they used more than 2,500 horses and 10,000 extras. The film was mostly made in and around Rome, and the elaborate sets used during filming were themselves a tourist attraction. You might be tempted to skip the 3 hour and 44 minute classic and go with the modern remake with more advanced special effects. The chariot race scene is indeed updated, but note that most critics were not impressed with the new one.
The Way of the Dragon 1972 martial arts 7.3
How does such a bad movie have such a high IMDB rating? Bruce Lee. Watching him do anything is fascinating. But mostly, it’s the finale where Bruce Lee fights to the death with Chuck Norris (!). In the Colosseum! If that interests you, I recommend to just watch that scene and skip the movie.