# Sheba and the Gladiator > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sheba_and_the_Gladiator > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sheba_and_the_Gladiator.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheba_and_the_Gladiator > Source revision: 1355847594 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1959 film Sheba and the Gladiator French film poster Directed by Guido Brignone Michelangelo Antonioni Screenplay by Francesco De Feo Sergio Leone Giuseppe Mangione Guido Brignone[1] Story by Francesco De Feo Sergio Leone Giuseppe Mangione Guido Brignone[1] Produced by Enzo Merolle[1] Starring Anita Ekberg Georges Marchal Folco Lulli Chelo Alonso Cinematography Luciano Trasatti Mario Bava[1] Edited by Nino Baragli[1] Music by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino[1] Production companies Giomer Film Lux Film Societe Cinematographicque Lyre Tele Film GmbH Dubrava Film Filmiski Studio[1] Release dates 5 March 1959 (1959-03-05) (Italy) 2 October 1959 (1959-10-02) (West Germany) Running time 98 minutes[1] Countries Italy France West Germany Yugoslavia[1] ***Sheba and the Gladiator*** or ***Sign of the Gladiator*** ([Italian](/source/Italian_language): *Nel Segno di Roma*) is a 1959 [historical drama film](/source/List_of_historical_drama_films) loosely pertaining to the [Palmyrene Empire](/source/Palmyrene_Empire) and its re-annexation back into the [Roman Empire](/source/Roman_Empire). ## Cast - [Anita Ekberg](/source/Anita_Ekberg) as [Zenobia](/source/Zenobia) - [Georges Marchal](/source/Georges_Marchal) as Consul Marcus Valerius - [Folco Lulli](/source/Folco_Lulli) as Zemanzius - [Chelo Alonso](/source/Chelo_Alonso) as Erica - [Gino Cervi](/source/Gino_Cervi) as [Aurelian](/source/Aurelian) - [Jacques Sernas](/source/Jacques_Sernas) as Julianus - [Lorella De Luca](/source/Lorella_De_Luca) as Batsheba - [Alberto Farnese](/source/Alberto_Farnese) as Marcello - [Mimmo Palmara](/source/Mimmo_Palmara) as Lator ## Production *Sheba the Gladiator* was shot in 1958.[2] Director [Guido Brignone](/source/Guido_Brignone) fell ill during the production on the film leading to two other directors to enter the production to help complete it: [Michelangelo Antonioni](/source/Michelangelo_Antonioni) and [Riccardo Freda](/source/Riccardo_Freda).[3] For Antonioni, he visited Brignone in the hospital and reported on what he filmed and received instructions for the next day.[3] Freda was in charge shooting the battle scenes which he did with cinematographer [Mario Bava](/source/Mario_Bava) and Antonioni working with cinematographer Luciano Trasatti shooting the indoor scenes.[3] Other people credited to the film included [Sergio Leone](/source/Sergio_Leone) as a screenwriter.[3] [Mimmo Palmara](/source/Mimmo_Palmara) commented that Antonioni "couldn't care less" about the film and "didn't direct the actors."[2] Freda had an argument with Palmara and unsuccessfully tried to court [Chelo Alonso](/source/Chelo_Alonso) on set.[2] ## Release *Sheba and the Gladiator* was distributed in Italy on March 5, 1959.[1][2] It was released in West Germany as *Im Zeichen Roms* on 2 October 1959.[4] [American International Pictures](/source/American_International_Pictures) acquired the American rights to the film and re-titled it *Sign of the Gladiator* (*Sign of Rome* "was a pretty dismal title" according to [Samuel Z. Arkoff](/source/Samuel_Z._Arkoff)[5]) and cut 18 minutes from the original running time.[6] There was no gladiator in the film so they redubbed it to change the general played by Jacques Sernas into a gladiator.[5] It was released in September 1959 in the United States.[2] American International Pictures added an end title song called "Xenobia" sung by Bill Lee which was released on AIP Records.[7] The film grossed a total of $1.25 million in rentals.[8] "We did quite well with the picture" said [Samuel Z Arkoff](/source/Samuel_Z_Arkoff).[5] *Kine Weekly* called it a "money maker" at the British box office in 1960.[9] ## See also - [List of historical drama films](/source/List_of_historical_drama_films) - [List of films set in ancient Rome](/source/List_of_films_set_in_ancient_Rome) - [Crisis of the Third Century](/source/Crisis_of_the_Third_Century) ## References ### Citations 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017296_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017296_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017296_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017296_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017296_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017296_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017296_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017296_1-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017296_1-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017296_1-9) [Curti 2017](#CITEREFCurti2017), p. 296. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017169_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017169_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017169_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017169_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017169_2-4) [Curti 2017](#CITEREFCurti2017), p. 169. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017168_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017168_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017168_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECurti2017168_3-3) [Curti 2017](#CITEREFCurti2017), p. 168. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Im Zeichen Roms"](https://www.filmportal.de/film/im-zeichen-roms_1d929eaa23394c558dc19db54dc1981e) (in German). [Filmportal.de](/source/Filmportal.de). Retrieved January 30, 2019. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-king_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-king_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-king_5-2) Strawn, Linda May (1975). "Samuel Z. Arkoff". In McCarthy, Todd; Flynn, Charles (eds.). *Kings of the Bs : working within the Hollywood system : an anthology of film history and criticism*. E. P. Dutton. p. 264. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-AIP_6-0)** McGee, Mark (1996). *Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures*. McFarland. p. 154. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Smith, Gary A. *American International Pictures: The Golden Era*. Bear Manor Media. p. 117. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** "Rental Potentials of 1960", *Variety*, 4 January 1961 p 47. Please note figures are rentals as opposed to total gross. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Billings, Josh (15 December 1960). ["It's Britain 1, 2, 3 again in the 1960 box office stakes"](https://archive.org/details/sim_kine-weekly_1960-12-15_523_2776/page/n7/mode/1up). *Kine Weekly*. p. 9. ### Sources - Curti, Roberto (2017). *Riccardo Freda: The Life and Works of a Born Filmmaker*. McFarland. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1476628387](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1476628387). ## External links - [*Sheba and the Gladiator*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051985/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) v t e The films of Guido Brignone The Painting of Osvaldo Mars (1921) The Pearl of Cleopatra (1922) The Two Sergeants (1922) The Flight of Socrates (1923) Saetta Learns to Live (1924) Emperor Maciste (1924) Maciste in the Lion's Cage (1926) The Giant of the Dolomites (1927) Mary's Big Secret (1928) The Man Without Love (1929) Devotion (1929) Before the Jury (1931) The Charmer (1931) La Wally (1932) Paradise (1932) Pergolesi (1932) Just Married (1934) The Little Schoolmistress (1934) Loyalty of Love (1934) Red Passport (1935) Ginevra degli Almieri (1935) The Ancestor (1936) Beggar's Wedding (1936) Marcella (1937) To Live (1937) For Men Only (1938) Under the Southern Cross (1938) Kean (1940) Beatrice Cenci (1941) The Gorgon (1942) Disturbance (1942) Maria Malibran (1943) Baron Carlo Mazza (1948) Buried Alive (1949) The Count of Saint Elmo (1950) Il nido di Falasco (1950) The Ungrateful Heart (1951) Deceit (1952) Ivan, Son of the White Devil (1953) Storms (1953) The Courier of Moncenisio (1954) Sunset in Naples (1955) Sheba and the Gladiator (1959) v t e Sergio Leone Filmography Films directed The Last Days of Pompeii (1959, uncredited) The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) A Fistful of Dollars (1964) For a Few Dollars More (1965) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) Duck, You Sucker! (1971) Once Upon a Time in America (1984) Films written only Slave Women of Corinth (1958) Sheba and the Gladiator (1959) Duel of the Titans (1961) The Seven Revenges (1961) Slave Girls of Sheba (1963) A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe (1975) Troppo forte (1986) Films produced only The Cat (1977) Fun Is Beautiful (1980) Bianco, rosso e Verdone (1981) Related Bice Waleran (mother) Roberto Roberti (father) Dollars Trilogy My Name Is Nobody (1973) Sergio Leone: The Italian Who Invented America This article related to an Italian film of the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:1950s-Italy-film-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3A1950s-Italy-film-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:1950s-Italy-film-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sheba and the Gladiator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheba_and_the_Gladiator) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheba_and_the_Gladiator?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.