Constantine and the Cross
Directed by	Lionello De Felice
Written by	Lionello De Felice Michael Audley (English dialogue)
Produced by	Mino Loy Luciano Martino
Starring	Cornel Wilde Belinda Lee Massimo Serato
Cinematography	Massimo Dallamano
Music by	Mario Nascimbene
Distributed by	Embassy Pictures (USA)
Release dates	1961 1963 (US)
Running time	120 min
Countries	Italy Yugoslavia

Constantine and the Cross (AKA: Costantino il grande) is a 1961 historical drama film about the early career of the emperor Constantine, who first legalized and then adopted Christianity in the early 4th century. The fictionalised film only stretches as far into his life as the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312.

It was also known as Constantine the Great.^[1]

Premise

Constantine wins a battle and is sent to Rome. One the way he and his friend Hadrian are attacked by bandits. Hadrian is nursed back to health by some Christians, including Livia. The bandits were sent by Maxentius, Constantine's rival for power.

Constantine watches some Christians be eaten by the lions. He jumps into the arena to defend a surviving child, and asks for the other Christians to be set free.

When Constantine's father dies, Constantine learns his mother Helena is a Christian. Constantine plans to go easy on the Christians. Maxentius persuades his father Maximian that Constantine must collaborate or die.

Maxentius persecutes Christians and attacks Constantine in Gaul.

Cast

• Cornel Wilde as Constantine
• Belinda Lee as Fausta
• Massimo Serato as Maxentius
• Christine Kaufmann as Livia
• Fausto Tozzi as Hadrian
• Tino Carraro as Maximian
• Carlo Ninchi as Constantius Chlorus
• Vittorio Sanipoli as Apuleius
• Nando Gazzolo as Licinius
• Annibale Ninchi as Galarius
• Elisa Cegani as Elena
• Franco Fantasia as Roman Soldier
• Loris Gizzi as Roman Prosecutor
• Enrico Glori as Livia's Father
• Jole Mauro as Celi
• Nando Tamberlani as Diocletian
• Renato Terra as Jailer
• Lauro Gazzolo as Amodius

Production

Filming took place in August 1960, with locations in Yugoslavia and studio work in Rome.^[2] While filming a scene in Rome Cornel Wilde was scratched by a lion.^[3]

Reception

The New York Times called it "one of those ponderous costumed tabloids that's trampled history to death and turned what's left of its fragments into boring banalities."^[4]

The Montly Film Bulletin said "the familiar ingredients of this tired spectacle - lions, fair haired Christian girls, torture chambers, battles, assassination attempts, intrigue - fail to arouse any noticeable excitement in the director or the cast."^[1]