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Good movie for students of Roman military history


There are good foreign films out there that few Americans ever know about. I know there's an English-dubbed version of, COLUMNA (Column) because I watched it on American television back in the mid-1970s. I liked watching it back then and thanks to YouTube, can watch it again. Unfortunately there's no English and subtitles on the YouTube presentation.

Like I mentioned, if you enjoy Roman history, especially ancient Roman military history, COLUMNA is a gem that takes place in the immediate aftermath of the third and last, Roman-Dacian War, circa, 106 A.D., which was an extremely savage, especially violent, and merciless affair that involved the 20th century equivalent of 'total war'. The Roman military governor, Tiberius, tries his best to establish the first of a lasting Roman occupation by building the first, large Roman military base on occupied Dacian territory. Tiberius has a humanistic streak that encourages him to seek some kind of peaceful co-existence with the sullen, defeated Dacians. The Roman-Dacian wars were known in history for the, 'no-mercy, no pity' savagery between Dacians and Romans. Arguably, the Dacians set the savage tone. Roman prisoners were frequently tortured to death. In other words, the Dacians really took no prisoners. All three wars quickly took on the 'all-out, total war' brutal aspect that was memorialized on the famous, Trajan's Column in Rome; thus, the name of this movie, 'Columna', the column.

Of particular interest is the relationship between governor Tiberius and a local Dacian lower-ranking noblewoman, Andrade (played by the beautiful, Italo-Grecian actress, Antonella Lualdi). Like her fellow countrymen, Andrade despises and hates the new Roman occupiers. In one memorable scene, Andrade finds herself left alone with Tiberius in his personal quarters over dinner. She defiantly and proudly taunts Tiberius about this opportunity to have his way with her (rape), defiantly assuring him that she won't resist. She's quietly impressed when Tiberius simply gets up and bids her good-night, allowing her to be a guest in his quarters all to herself. In the strange way of human man and woman relationships where disparate people can fall in love, Andrade starts to respect Tiberius and then to fall in love with her hated Roman enemy enough to marry him, wear Roman clothes and bear him a son. But she never forgets that she's Dacian above all and that she has never stopped despising Roman occupation of her homeland. More, Andrade has some kind of family connection with a Dacian warrior noble hiding in the forests, trying to establish a Dacian partisan resistance movement, which Tiberius suspects, but can't get his Dacian wife to discuss or reveal. How can two people, from different worlds, and enemies at that, can become attracted to each other, make love, marry, live together, sleep in the same bed together, have conversations, create a child together, and yet still be complete strangers to one another? But that's the case here.

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