Popular Culture References
The iconic status of the Colosseum has led it to be featured in numerous films and other items of popular culture:
- In the 1953 film Roman Holiday, the Colosseum famously serves as the backdrop for several scenes.
- In the 1954 film Demetrius and the Gladiators, the Emperor Caligula anachronistically sentences the Christian Demetrius to fight in the Colosseum.
- The conclusion of the 1957 film 20 Million Miles to Earth takes place at the Colosseum.
- The Bob Dylan song "When I Paint My Masterpiece," first recorded in 1971 by The Band and later appearing on the album "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II," mentions both the "Spanish Stairs" (the Spanish Steps) and the Colosseum.
- In the 1972 film Way of the Dragon, Bruce Lee fought Chuck Norris in the Colosseum.
- In Ridley Scott's 2000 film Gladiator, the Colosseum was re-created via computer-generated imagery (CGI) to "restore" it to the glory of its heyday in the 2nd century. The depiction of the building itself is generally accurate and it gives a good impression of what the underground hypogeum would have been like.
- The Colosseum was featured as one of the locations of Vitaly's travelling circus in the animated film, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.
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