but your Auntie would probably win the cigar. The Robe's official year of release was 1953, Cleopatra's 1963. But who's counting?

The only difference I see between the old movies and Gladiator is that the actors are more buffed, the BBC accent has given way to Manchester, Sydney, Liverpool, etc.; sex can be shown rather than implied; but the costumes and armor have become less accurate. The dialog is still beautifully corny, however, and as for historical accuracy, that is something that Hollywood never bothered about.