Movies like Salambo (1914)
The best movies like Salambo (1914) are Quo Vadis (1951), 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) and Cinema Paradiso (1988). If Salambo hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCinema Paradiso (1988)8.4/10 from 5,048 votes
- NewestLa Dolce Villa (2025)Released 2025
- In ItalianCinema Paradiso (1988)Also in Italian
Quo Vadis (1951)
After fierce Roman commander Marcus Vinicius becomes infatuated with beautiful Christian hostage Lygia, he begins to question the tyrannical leadership of the despotic emperor Nero.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
When the first manned flight to Venus returns to Earth, the rocket crash-lands in the Mediterranean near a small Italian fishing village. The locals manage to save Colonel Robert Calder, the mission commander. A young boy also recovers what turns out to be a specimen of an alien creature. Growing at a fantastic rate, it manages to escape and eventually threatens the city of Rome.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCinema Paradiso (1988)
A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (1992)
Following the release of Part III in 1990, Coppola, Barry Malkin, and Walter Murch edited the three films into chronological order to create this nearly ten-hour epic, incorporating scenes not part of the theatrical releases.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisKings of the Sun (1963)
In order to flee from powerful enemies, young Mayan king Balam leads his people north across the Gulf of Mexico to the coast of what will become the United States. They build a home in the new land but come into conflict with a tribe of Native Americans led by their chief, Black Eagle, while both Balam and Black Eagle fall in love the beautiful Mayan princess Ixchel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarabbas (1961)
Epic account of the thief Barabbas, who was pardoned for his crimes and spared crucifixion when Pilate offered the Israelites a choice to pardon Barabbas or Jesus. Struggling with his spirituality, Barabbas goes through many ordeals leading him to the gladiatorial arena, where he tries to win his freedom and confront his inner demons, ultimately becoming a follower of the man who was crucified in his place.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTo Rome with Love (2012)
Four tales unfold in the Eternal City: While vacationing in Rome, architect John encounters a young man whose romantic woes remind him of a painful incident from his own youth; retired opera director Jerry discovers a mortician with an amazing voice, and he seizes the opportunity to rejuvenate his own flagging career; a young couple have separate romantic interludes; a spotlight shines on an ordinary man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisCabrini (2024)
Italian immigrant Francesca Cabrini arrives in 1889 New York City and is greeted by disease, crime, and impoverished children. Cabrini sets off on a daring mission to convince the hostile mayor to secure housing and healthcare for society's most vulnerable. With broken English and poor health, Cabrini uses her entrepreneurial mind to build an empire of hope unlike anything the world had ever seen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIntolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916)
The story of a poor young woman, separated by prejudice from her husband and baby, is interwoven with tales of intolerance from throughout history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDante's Inferno (1911)
The classic tale of Dante's journey through hell, loosely adapted from the Divine Comedy and inspired by the illustrations of Gustav Doré. This historically important film stands as the first feature from Italy and the oldest fully-surviving feature in the world, and boasts beautiful sets and special effects that stand above other cinema of the era.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDavid and Bathsheba (1951)
King David enters into an adulterous affair with the beautiful Bathsheba, which has tragic consequences for his family and Israel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisInvestigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)
Rome, Italy. After committing a heinous crime, a senior police officer exposes evidence incriminating him because his moral commitment prevents him from circumventing the law and the social order it protects.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDemetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
The story picks up at the point where "The Robe" ends, following the martyrdom of Diana and Marcellus. Christ's robe is conveyed to Peter for safe-keeping, but the emperor Caligula wants it back to benefit from its powers. Marcellus' former slave Demetrius seeks to prevent this, and catches the eye of Messalina, wife to Caligula's uncle Claudius. Messalina tempts Demetrius, he winds up fighting in the arena, and wavers in his faith.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
A by-the-book Captain is ordered to capture a strategic village in Italy. The Italian soldiers are willing to surrender, if they can have a festival first. The lieutenant convinces the Captain this is the only way. Because of aerial reconnaissance, they must look like they are fighting. To sort this out an intelligence officer is sent in. Meanwhile the festival gets complicated with the Mayors daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisLa Dolce Villa (2025)
When his daughter decides to buy a crumbling Tuscan villa, Eric rushes to Italy to talk her out of it — and instead finds beauty, romance and new purpose.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSalò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1976)
Four corrupted fascist libertines round up 9 teenage boys and girls and subject them to 120 days of sadistic physical, mental and sexual torture.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCall Me by Your Name (2017)
In the summer of 1983, a 17-year-old Elio spends his days in his family's villa in Italy. One day Oliver, a graduate student, arrives to assist Elio's father, a professor of Greco-Roman culture. Soon, Elio and Oliver discover a summer that will alter their lives forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPaprika (1991)
In 1957 Trieste, a few months before the general ban on brothels, inexperienced country girl Mimma becomes Paprika to finance her useless boyfriend as a prostitute. Amid the hustle and bustle of Rome, Paprika drifts from one brothel to another as she learns the ropes and works her way up one client at a time. However, as Paprika embarks on a stormy journey of self-discovery and sexual liberation, the sense that something is missing haunts her. Is Paprika meant to experience a passionate romance and solve the great mystery of true love?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGuillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)
During the rise of fascism in Mussolini's Italy, a wooden boy brought magically to life struggles to live up to his father's expectations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisCaligula (1979)
After the death of the paranoid emperor Tiberius, Caligula, his heir, seizes power and plunges the empire into a bloody spiral of madness and depravity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Salambo?
The closest matches to Salambo are Quo Vadis (1951), 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) and Cinema Paradiso (1988). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Salambo?
Start with Quo Vadis (1951), the closest match to Salambo.
What is the highest-rated movie like Salambo?
Cinema Paradiso (1988), rated 8.4/10 by 5,048 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Salambo?
La Dolce Villa (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like Salambo?
Yes: Cinema Paradiso (1988), Dante's Inferno (1911) and Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970).
How are movies similar to Salambo chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Salambo, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.