When in Rome

When in Rome takes its cue from Buffalo Bill’s 1890 visit to Rome, where the arrival of the Wild West created a sensation. Cody even considered the Colosseum as a possible setting for the show, only to discover that the ancient arena was hardly suited to staging a modern spectacle. Ross turns that historical collision into a wonderfully deadpan image: three mounted figures from the American West face the Colosseum as though they have arrived ready to perform. There they are, Buffalo Bill’s traveling spectacle, designed to bring the mythology of the American frontier to audiences around the world, coming face to face with one of the most famous arenas of the ancient world.