I TOO, SAW IT AS A KID. THE MOST IMPRESSIVE SCENE IN THE FILM IS THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE LEGIONS IN THE FINAL BATTLE SCENE.
JUST FABULOUS!...AND WELL BEFORE CGI! THOSE WERE REAL MEN,
WELL TRAINED AND REHEARSED. MUST HAVE TAKEN FOREVER TO SHOOT.
THE FILM DOES NOT HOLD UP ALL THAT WELL AFTER A FEW VIEWINGS, BUT THAT ONE SCENE!!! JUST GREAT!
Although there was no CGI, there was some movie trickery in that scene as they doubled the size of the legions. There were only half as many men as you see because they double printed the legions. The ones in the rear ranks are the the same as the ones in the front ranks, just reprinted.
When I first saw it as a kid on TV around 1967, I was really into the action and gladiators, etc. Now I really enjoy it for the marvelous acting of Olivier, Ustinov (he Oscared for Spartacus) and Laughton.