# Any films based on Ancient Roman plays? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 16, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-films-based-on-ancient-roman-plays/818025 "2018-07-16T17:48:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-films-based-on-ancient-roman-plays/818025/1 "2018-07-16T17:48:06Z")
There are an awful lot of [film adaptations of Ancient Greek plays](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_Greek_drama), a few of which I have seen. Are there any films adapted from Ancient Roman plays, such as those of [Terence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence)? I haven’t heard of any but would love to learn that there are indeed some. And if anyone has actually watched some and can recommend any in particular, so much the better. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-films-based-on-ancient-roman-plays/818025/2 "2018-07-16T17:54:02Z")
Someone will say this, so I will. It’s not really what you’re looking for, but the stage show _a Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum_ cribs heavily from the works of Plautus (including characters’ names – _Miles Gloriosus_, the soldier who bought the female slave, is the title and main character in one of Plautus’ works. and _Pseudolus_ is similarly the main character and title of one of Plautus’ plays.). And, of course, it became a movie starring Zero Mostel. Several Roman plays got indirectly filmed, as when Plautus’ _Menaechmi_ became Shakespeare’s _A Comedy of Errors_, which has been sort-of filmed. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-films-based-on-ancient-roman-plays/818025/3 "2018-07-16T17:57:11Z")
I like Plautus’ work (read the surviving plays, and even translated part of one back in high school), but I can’t recall any films of them, and a quick survey fails to turn anything up. Given my druthers, I’d take a nice low-brow heavy slapstick Plautus play over the proper and high-minded Terence any day. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-films-based-on-ancient-roman-plays/818025/4 "2018-07-16T18:00:30Z")
Looking up Plautus on the internet movie data base reveals several entries, but they’re virtually all works based on Plautus, and no based directly on Plautus’ plays. > **[Titus Maccius Plautus - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0686974/)** > > Titus Maccius Plautus. Writer: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Latin poet and dramatist, who was born at Mercato Saraceno in Umbria. Some authorities credit him with upto 130 comedies however only 21 are certain. These include:... Here’s probably the closest you’ll find – a TV version of the _Mostellaria_ from 1960 > **[The Haunted House (TV Series 1960– ) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1691122/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_15)** > > The Haunted House: With Geoffrey Lumsden, Robert Gillespie, John Woodvine, Sheila Steafel.