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Galla Placidia: Why no movie?

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Galla Placidia (392-450) is one of the fascinating people of the late Roman Empire. She would make a great topic for any movie or miniseries. Her resume is impressive:

 

 

Daughter of the great Emperor Theodosius I.

 

Younger half-sister of the Emperors Arcadius in the East and Honorius in the West.

 

Grew up in the household of the Roman general Stilicho and his wife. Betrothed to Stilicho's son Eucherius until Stilicho's assassination.

 

Captured by the Visigoth king Alaric. Married Alaric's successor, Ataulf till his assassination.

 

Eventually freed to Rome and married Constantius III, eventual co-emperor with Honorius.

 

Involved in the political intrigues of the Roman generals Bonifacius and Aetius.

 

Mother and regent of the feckless Emperor Valentinian III.

 

 

A potential movie about Galla Placidia would have everything: love, romance, tragedy, war, murder, and political intrigue. I'm not sure who would play the part of Galla Placidia. She would have to be, however, intellegent, scheming, but also beautiful and sensuous. Great movie.

 

Can you hear me, HBO/BBC? Our esteemed author and friend to UNRV, Ian Hughes, could help with the screen play and act as an historical consultant. And I would volunteer my time and render my opinions at the rehearsals for the female lead of this movie. :)

 

 

guy also known as gaius

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I'd pay money to see a movie about Galla Placidia, especially if done right. Sounds like an inspired suggestion!

 

-- Nephele

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She has a wonderful mausoleum in Ravenna:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_of_Galla_Placidia

 

Yes, I agree she's due a movie or even a mini-series.

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Here's my promo for the future HBO/BBC Galla Placidia miniseries:

 

 

She was the beautiful daughter of a powerful and great emperor. She was the sister to two young and weak emperors. She was the wife and empress to a brave Roman general. And she was the lover of a mighty barbarian Gothic king.

 

Her story is a true tale of passion, love, scandal, betrayal, and intrigue.

 

Galla Placidia: A woman who witnessed the collapse of the Ancient Roman world around her.

 

Galla Placidia: The woman who tried to save an Empire.

 

 

Yep. I think the story has potential B)

 

 

guy also known as gaius

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Galla Placidia is one of the most interesting women of antiquity, so I'd love to see an adaption of her story to film or tv. I used to have a picture of her and her family (or a supposed picture...might just have been a late Roman Christian family) as my avatar for a long time.

 

You might be interested to know that Galla Placidia has been portrayed on film before - she was portrayed by Alice Krige in the 2001 TV movie Attila; and if my memory serves me right she appears in the 2006 BBC docu-drama Ancient Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire.

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She has a wonderful mausoleum in Ravenna:

 

Though she's reported to be buried elsewhere.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_of_Galla_Placidia

 

Yes, I agree she's due a movie or even a mini-series.

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Why no movie? Lack of name recognition.

Most people have probably heard of Cleopatra, a somewhat lesser amount have heard of Livia. But how many people who are not hardcore Romanophiles have heard of Galla Placida?

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Why no movie? Lack of name recognition.

Most people have probably heard of Cleopatra, a somewhat lesser amount have heard of Livia. But how many people who are not hardcore Romanophiles have heard of Galla Placida?

 

...no one heard of the Avatar characters before either, so if Cameron makes a 2 billion 4D spectacle it might work ;)

of course you are right Ursus, however a good story, script and acting will go very far (+ a decent amount of marketing)... just saying...

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Why no movie? Lack of name recognition.

Most people have probably heard of Cleopatra, a somewhat lesser amount have heard of Livia. But how many people who are not hardcore Romanophiles have heard of Galla Placida?

 

 

"Marquee names" are what publishers and movie makers crave...they bring in the readers/audience and make the money. Look at what happened to the movie Agora about a much better known woman from the same time period - Hypatia of Alexandria. It came and went in a couple of weeks in art houses. I've studied and written about the Theodosian women for years: Galla Placidia, her daughter Justa Grata Honoria, her niece Pulcheria, and Theodosius II's wife Athenais--all fascinating women with great stories, but relegated to obscurity as far as popular culture goes. Maybe an HBO series called "The Theodosians--the Tudors of the 5th Century" would draw an audience? ;) I'm glad someone mentioned Alice Krieg's turn as Galla Placidia in the Attila TV series. I thought she did a great job playing the mature Augusta.

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Why no movie? Lack of name recognition.

Most people have probably heard of Cleopatra, a somewhat lesser amount have heard of Livia. But how many people who are not hardcore Romanophiles have heard of Galla Placida?

 

 

"Marquee names" are what publishers and movie makers crave...they bring in the readers/audience and make the money. Look at what happened to the movie Agora about a much better known woman from the same time period - Hypatia of Alexandria. It came and went in a couple of weeks in art houses. I've studied and written about the Theodosian women for years: Galla Placidia, her daughter Justa Grata Honoria, her niece Pulcheria, and Theodosius II's wife Athenais--all fascinating women with great stories, but relegated to obscurity as far as popular culture goes. Maybe an HBO series called "The Theodosians--the Tudors of the 5th Century" would draw an audience? ;) I'm glad someone mentioned Alice Krieg's turn as Galla Placidia in the Attila TV series. I thought she did a great job playing the mature Augusta.

 

Then we have to start looking for a maecenas and a good marketing expert.

To get the name "Galla Placidia" widely spread and known, I 'll start twittering with #gallaplacidia tomorrow.

That's how companies do when they want attention these days.

 

Jeroen H de Lange,

Amsterdam

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I'm at present finishing a novel on Galla Placidia - and I fully agree with all those who feel she (also) deserves a movie. She has been portrayed not once but twice, though, both by Alice Krige and by a French actress in a 1950's film. Marketing her may be a bit more difficult than, say, Cleopatra, but in view of all the topics her life touches on, and given a catchy title - e.g. "The Empress and the barbarians"? - it should not be impossible.

 

Petrus

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I think there's probably been no movie because she wasn't written about by Shakespeare, and wasn't around at the time of Christ, or when the Empire was at its height. I was somewhat surprised when Hypatia turned up in a commercial film, although many casual astronomy readers were introduced to her by Carl Sagan. I agree that she was a powerful and charismatic woman, although I take issue with Guy's description of Theodosius as a great and powerful emperor. He was a religious fanatic who did much to destroy the classical heritage of the Mediterranean world. He completed the barbarisation of the army, promoted his awful son Honorius to co - emperor and grovelled to the Pope when he was told off for slaughtering seven thousand civilians in Salonica!

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I think there's probably been no movie because she wasn't written about by Shakespeare, and wasn't around at the time of Christ, or when the Empire was at its height.

 

I certainly agree with that statement.

 

I think another person who could be the basis of a great movie is the Greek / Theban general who destroyed Spartan hegemony:

 

http://en.wikipedia....iki/Epaminondas

 

Plutarch had been the source for a lot of Shakespeare's work. Unfortunately, Plutarch's chapter about Epaminondas in Parallel Lives (along with his Roman counterpart, Scipio Africanus) was lost.

 

He has the making of an HBO special, along with his Theban Sacred Band:

 

Leading the surge there was the Sacred Band, the cream of the Theban army. The group, led by Epaminondas' friend Pelopidas, consisted of 150 male couples. The feeling was that lovers would fight with more heart if they had to do so in front of each other.

 

http://suite101.com/...-defeat-a139520

 

Back to the subject of Galla Placidia, I would nominate the enchanting Alyssa Milano to play her role:

 

http://search.aol.co...ent95_searchbox

 

Ms. Milano exudes both the inner fortitude of a Roman empress, but the quiet dignity of a devoted daughter, wife, and mother.

 

 

guy also known as gaius

Edited by guy

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I think there's probably been no movie because she wasn't written about by Shakespeare, and wasn't around at the time of Christ, or when the Empire was at its height.

 

I certainly agree with that statement.

 

I think another person who could be the basis of a great movie is the Greek / Theban general who destroyed Spartan hegemony:

 

http://en.wikipedia....iki/Epaminondas

 

Plutarch had been the source for a lot of Shakespeare's work. Unfortunately, Plutarch's chapter about Epaminondas in Parallel Lives (along with his Roman counterpart, Scipio Africanus) was lost.

 

He has the making of an HBO special, along with his Theban Sacred Band:

 

Leading the surge there was the Sacred Band, the cream of the Theban army. The group, led by Epaminondas' friend Pelopidas, consisted of 150 male couples. The feeling was that lovers would fight with more heart if they had to do so in front of each other.

 

http://suite101.com/...-defeat-a139520

 

Back to the subject of Galla Placidia, I would nominate the enchanting Alyssa Milano to play her role:

 

http://search.aol.co...ent95_searchbox

 

Ms. Milano exudes both the inner fortitude of a Roman empress, but the quiet dignity of a devoted daughter, wife, and mother.

 

 

guy also known as gaius

 

 

Perhaps we should try to remember this is a Roman forum - and not drift into ancient Greece.

No, I don't feel that the fact of GP not having been the subject of a Shakespeare play has anything to do with her not having been the subject of a movie. Nero hasn't been portrayed by Sh. either... It may, however, be that portraying strong women while yet realizing that a decent/true treatment would also mean not unduly romanticizing such a person and, in the case of roman empresses, also accepting there will be elements in her life we would rather not hear about may well be the main reason.

By the way: Theodosius wasn't really a religious fanatic, and the man he bowed to, because if he hadn't the Church would have opposed his rule, wasn't the pope, but Bishop Ambrose of Milan.

 

LastRoman

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