I just love it that they used (for the most part) real ruins.
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***You didn't suffer as much as black people so stop acting special.***
Thanks for the info! I was wondering if they had used real ruins in Libya. Here are some pictures via Google:
<http://images.google.ca/images?q=leptis%20magna&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi>;.
I saw the movie and I couldn't help but to do all kinds of research to figure out where these ruins were... I must have spent a few hours on the net just trying to hunt it down. The site isn't the ancient city in Algeria (referred to in the movie as Timgad) but this ancient city (which has a history that goes all the way back to 1000 B.C.) in Modern Day Libya. Trajan was not the emperor who built Leptis Magna, of course, but it seems that they DID USE the inscription from Timgad and msyteriously (movie magic) put it in the movie as if it was n Leptis. I wonder how cool it would be to go and visit this ancient city. I watched the footage over and over again and noticed that the modern day Leptis is a little cleaned up and they seem to have fixed some of the ruins (like the stage) compared to when the movie was filmed. VERY INTERESTING. I'm surprised that they didn't use some of the other archeological scenery from Leptis too (like the massive entrance and the angels carved into the marble). All in all, I'd still like to travel to Libya ... only thing is, with the contempt for Americans in that part of the world today, I'm not sure I'd feel safe going there. It's just a BIT too dangerous, I guess, for an American to travel to those parts of the world.
sharepleasewritetome-1, I read your post, and if you want a good safe place to see fantastic roman ruins and entire cities as good as leptis magna, just go to turkey. I went there back in 98 for a month, rented a car and just drove around the southern coast road. ephesus is good, and the biggest but there are tons of smaller cities along this road that most people don't go to. a grand theatre in myra, aspendos, pinara, just tons and tons of places to see. it's very easy to get around, most people speak english,and it's dirt cheap to stay in small pensions and even nice hotels if you want. I have always wanted to go to see leptis too, I"m sure now you could go with a group tour and see it from britain. but if you go in the sort of off season in turkey, you may have these ruins to yourself.
shareFilming locations on IMDb for this movie include Rome. I'd say the "ruins" were filmed there.
E pluribus unum
Nope, the lost city scenes were shot at the ruins of Leptis Magna, Libya, which is about an hour & ten minute drive east of Tripoli on the coast. Other parts of Libya were also used for shooting, including the "Timbuktu" scenes (shot in Zliten, which is about 5-10 miles further east from Leptis Magna) and all the Sahara Desert scenes. It is true, however, that studio stuff was done in Rome, including fake ruins and fake outside sets.
share