A Roman noble, Cethegus, tries to start a war, setting the Ostrogoths and their Queen, Amalasuntha, against the Byzantine Emperor Justinian; Cethegus wants to swoop in after they have destroyed each other and create a new Roman Empire from their combined kingdoms; however, he does not factor into his plans the vagaries of love and the personal integrity of the people in both kingdoms.
Laurence Harvey
as Cethegus
Orson Welles
as Justinian
Sylva Koscina
as Empress Theodora
Harriet Andersson
as Mathaswintha
Honor Blackman
as Amalaswintha
Robert Hoffmann
as Totila
Michael Dunn
as Narses
Ingrid Boulting
as Julia
Lang Jeffries
as Belisarius
Florin Piersic
as Witichis
Emanoil PetruĊ£
as Teja
Friedrich von Ledebur
as Hildebrand
