''Attila'' (also known as ''Attila the Hun'' in the UK) is a 2001 American television

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

set during the waning days of the

Western Roman Empire The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period ...

, in particular during the invasions of the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

in Europe.

Synopsis

The narrative of the miniseries primarily follows

Attila the Hun Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and E ...

(reigned 434–453) during his rise to power, violent unification of the Hunnic tribes, and subsequent campaigns, first against the

Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantino ...

, and later against the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is k ...

and the

. A parallel narrative follows Roman general

Flavius Aetius Aetius (also spelled Aëtius; ; 390 – 454) was a Roman general and statesman of the closing period of the Western Roman Empire. He was a military commander and the most influential man in the Empire for two decades (433454). He managed pol ...

, Attila's primary antagonist, who works vigorously to keep the Western Empire intact despite factional politics, a weak emperor, and a steady stream of barbarian invasions.

Cast

Gerard Butler Gerard James Butler (born 13 November 1969) is a Scottish actor and film producer. After studying law, he turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as '' Mrs Brown'' (1997), the James Bond film '' Tomorrow Never ...

Attila Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and E ...

Rollo Weeks Rollo Percival Loring Weeks (born 20 March 1987) is a British businessman and former actor. He is best known for his titular roles in the films '' The Little Vampire'' (2000) and '' The Thief Lord'' (2006). Early life Weeks was born in Chiche ...

as Young Attila * Powers Boothe as

Simmone Jade Mackinnon Simone Jade Mackinnon (born 19 March 1973) is an Australian actress. She is best known for role as Allie Reese on ''Baywatch'' (1999–2000) and Stevie Hall on ''McLeod's Daughters'' (2003–2009). Early life Mackinnon was born in Mount Isa, Q ...

as N'Kara /

Ildico Ildico (''fl.'' AD 453) was the last wife of the Hunnic ruler Attila. Her name is probably Germanic, a diminutive form of the noun ("battle"), a common element in Germanic female names (e.g. '' Svanhildr'', ''Brynhildr'' and '' Gunnhildr''), ...

Reg Rogers Reg Rogers (born December 23, 1964) is an American stage, film, and television actor, known for his roles in '' Primal Fear'' and '' Runaway Bride'' and for the TV miniseries ''Attila''. He also appears in theater, both on Broadway and Off-Broadw ...

Valentinian III Valentinian III ( la, Placidus Valentinianus; 2 July 41916 March 455) was Roman emperor in the West from 425 to 455. Made emperor in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was one of the longest, but was dominated by powerful generals vying ...

Alice Krige Alice Maud Krige (; born 28 June 1954) is a South African actress and producer. Her first feature film role was in '' Chariots of Fire'' (1981) as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon. She played the dual role of Eva Galli/Alma Mobley i ...

Placidia Placidia () was a daughter of Valentinian III, Roman emperor of the West from 425 to 455, and from 454/455 the wife of Olybrius, who became western Roman emperor in 472. She was one of the last imperial spouses in the Roman west, during the Fa ...

*Pauline Lynch as Galen *

Steven Berkoff Steven Berkoff (born Leslie Steven Berks; 3 August 1937) is an English actor, author, playwright, theatre practitioner and theatre director. As a theatre maker he is recognised for staging work with a heightened performance style eponymously ...

as Rua * Andrew Pleavin as

Orestes In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; grc-gre, Ὀρέστης ) was the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, and the brother of Electra. He is the subject of several Ancient Greek plays and of various myths connected with his madness an ...

Tommy Flanagan Thomas Lee Flanagan (March 16, 1930 – November 16, 2001) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He grew up in Detroit, initially influenced by such pianists as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole, and then by bebop musicians. ...

Bleda Bleda () was a Hunnic ruler, the brother of Attila the Hun. As nephews to Rugila, Attila and his elder brother Bleda succeeded him to the throne. Bleda's reign lasted for eleven years until his death. While it has been speculated by Jordanes t ...

* Kirsty Mitchell as Honoria *

Jonathan Hyde Jonathan Stephen Geoffrey King (born 21 May 1948), known professionally as Jonathan "Nash" Hyde, is an Australian-English actor. Hyde is perhaps best known for roles as Herbert Arthur Runcible Cadbury in the 1994 comedy film '' Richie Rich'', Sa ...

Flavius Felix Flavius Constantius Felix (died 430) was a general of the Western Roman Empire, who reached the prominent rank of patrician before being killed probably by order of Flavius Aetius. For his consulate, in 428, he issued some consular diptychs, on ...

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...

Theodosius II Theodosius II ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος, Theodosios; 10 April 401 – 28 July 450) was Roman emperor for most of his life, proclaimed ''augustus'' as an infant in 402 and ruling as the eastern Empire's sole emperor after the death of his ...

Janet Henfrey Janet Ethne Anne Henfrey (born 16 August 1935) is a British stage and television actress. She is best known for playing Mrs. Bale on '' As Time Goes By'', and for her role as the schoolteacher in the Dennis Potter television play '' Stand Up, N ...

as Palcharia *

Liam Cunningham Liam Cunningham (born 2 June 1961) is an Irish actor. He is known for playing Davos Seaworth in the HBO epic-fantasy series ''Game of Thrones''. Cunningham has been nominated for the London Film Critics' Circle Award, the British Independe ...

Theodoric I Theodoric I ( got, Þiudarīks; la, Theodericus; 390 or 393 – 20 or 24 June 451) was the King of the Visigoths from 418 to 451. Theodoric is famous for his part in stopping Attila (the Hun) at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains in 451, where ...

Richard Lumsden Richard James Lumsden (born 24 June 1965) is an English actor, writer, composer and musician. He has made regular appearances on TV and film throughout his career. Notable series include Channel 4's Emmy-award winning ''Sugar Rush'', '' Is it ...

Petronius Gaius Petronius Arbiter"Gaius Petronius Arbiter"
Mark Letheren Mark Vincent Letheren (born 6 February 1971) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as journalist Simon Kitson in ITV's drama ''The Bill'', as Ben Harding in the BBC One drama ''Casualty'' and for his recurring role as DS Kevin Geo ...

Thorismund Thorismund (also Thorismod or Thorismud, as manuscripts of our chief source confusingly attestJordanes, ''De origine actibusque Getarum'' (''Getica'') 81, 174, 190, 201 and elsewhere.) ( 420–453), became king of the Visigoths after his father Th ...

* Jolyon Baker as Mundzuk *

David Bailie David Bailie (4 December 1937 – 6 March 2021) was a South African actor, known for his performances on stage, television and film. In the 1960s and 1970s he worked for both the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he wa ...

as The Shaman *

Isla Fisher Isla Lang Fisher (; born 3 February 1976) is an Australian actress and author. Born to Scottish parents in Oman, she moved to Australia at age six where she began appearing in television commercials. Fisher came to prominence for her portrayal ...

as Cerca

Home media

The miniseries was released on DVD November 5, 2002 by Universal.

Historical inaccuracies

*Most historians contended that the Huns were of

Turco-Mongol The Turco-Mongol or Turko-Mongol tradition was an ethnocultural synthesis that arose in Asia during the 14th century, among the ruling elites of the Golden Horde and the Chagatai Khanate. The ruling Mongol elites of these Khanates eventuall ...

descent, as opposed to Caucasian as portrayed here - a small few however have now discounted any connection with the Mongolian

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

and point out that whatever their original point of origin, by Attila's time they had heavily intermarried with western tribes (which had largely been yet to be proven by majority historical accounts). In fact, at least one Hun in the film (Bleda) is made up to look 'mongoloid' - although oddly his uncle (Rua) and brother (Attila) are not. *There is no evidence that Attila ever spent time in Rome, although Aetius was a hostage for a time among the Huns. *The Romans are portrayed in standard Hollywood terms, decadent pagan orgies and all - whereas in reality by this stage they had converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

. Aetius does, however, at one point in the series, mention that he and Theodoric are both Christians (and in fact mentions that they had fought over religion, suggesting the historical difference between the

Arian Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God ...

Visigoths and the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Romans). *The film depicts the

Battle of Châlons The Battle of the Catalaunian Plains (or Fields), also called the Battle of the Campus Mauriacus, Battle of Châlons, Battle of Troyes or the Battle of Maurica, took place on June 20, 451 AD, between a coalition – led by the Roman general ...

as the last major campaign of Attila's career, entirely omitting his campaign the following year in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, during which he very nearly sacked Rome but withdrew after meeting with

Pope Leo I Pope Leo I ( 400 – 10 November 461), also known as Leo the Great, was bishop of Rome from 29 September 440 until his death. Pope Benedict XVI said that Leo's papacy "was undoubtedly one of the most important in the Church's history." Leo was ...

and Roman officials. *The film depicts

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Gaudentius. *The Roman helmets that appear here are the classical Roman helmets, although they had in reality abandoned this armor for the more cost efficient ridge helmet. *The Roman uniforms, shields, and weapons resemble that of the early Roman army instead of the late one. *Both Roman and Hun riders use

stirrup A stirrup is a light frame or ring that holds the foot of a rider, attached to the saddle by a strap, often called a ''stirrup leather''. Stirrups are usually paired and are used to aid in mounting and as a support while using a riding animal ...

s, and at times horseshoes, which were not introduced into Europe until several centuries later. *Virtually all the swords shown in the film are much too short - in fact virtually every army in the period used some variant of the spatha or

longsword A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use (around ), a straight double-edged blade of around , and weighing approximatel ...

as this gave a much longer reach used from horseback. *The

siege engine A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some are immobile, constructed in place to attack enemy fortifications from a distance, while oth ...

s used by the Huns are clearly

trebuchet A trebuchet (french: trébuchet) is a type of catapult that uses a long arm to throw a projectile. It was a common powerful siege engine until the advent of gunpowder. The design of a trebuchet allows it to launch projectiles of greater weight ...

s operated by counterweights which did not reach Europe until centuries after Attila - rather they should have been torsion-powered catapults. *The Roman Emperor

is depicted as childish, decadent and idiotic, while in truth he probably was a mature but incompetent ruler. *

Galla Placidia Galla Placidia (388–89/392–93 – 27 November 450), daughter of the Roman emperor Theodosius I, was a mother, tutor, and advisor to emperor Valentinian III, and a major force in Roman politics for most of her life. She was queen consort ...

and

were already dead by the time Valentinian murdered Aetius. *There are no records that back up the notion that Theodoric and Aetius shared the same wife. *As with many films portraying the waning days of the Roman Empire, Rome is still the titular capital city. From the time of

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

, emperors spent little time in Rome.

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

was the principal seat of emperors in the West—better situated to respond to emergencies—until 404 when the government was relocated to Ravenna. Valentinian III spent long periods of time in Rome and was resident there when he was assassinated. *While Theodoric was killed in the battle, the perpetrator was either an anonymous Hun, or possibly Andag, an ambitious fellow Goth. There are no historians who support a Roman conspiracy theory for his death. *Atilla did not kill Bleda immediately after their uncle's death. In fact they were co-rulers for 11 years, before Bleda died under mysterious circumstances. While it is speculated that Atilla did murder his brother, it was certainly not done in a public challenge. *Aetius was never imprisoned by Galla Placidia for his stance against her and Valentianian III, although he did support

Joannes Joannes or John ( la, Iohannes; died 425) was western Roman emperor from 423 to 425. On the death of the Emperor Honorius (15 August 423), Theodosius II, the remaining ruler of the House of Theodosius, hesitated in announcing his uncle's d ...

over Galla Placidia's son Valentinian III for ruling of the Western Roman Empire and did fight Galla Placidia's support army from the Eastern Empire of Theodosis II's general Aradaburius. Aetius was able to negotiate a compromise after the fighting did not resolve a victor. Aetius was proclaimed '' magister millitum'' of

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

by Galla Placida.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Attila (Tv Miniseries) 2001 American television series debuts 2001 American television series endings 2000s American television miniseries Television shows filmed in Lithuania Television dramas set in ancient Rome Byzantine Empire in fiction Television series set in the 5th century Cultural depictions of Attila the Hun Valentinian III Television series set in the Roman Empire Fratricide in fiction Cultural depictions of Flavius Aetius