This Italian production is directed and written by the highly acclaimed Hungarian film director, Miklos Jancso. Mystifyingly arcane pagan rituals highlight the stark drive to total power of the terrifying Attila, played by Hungarian actor Joszef Madaras. The invasion of the Roman Europe by the Huns in the fifth century of this era may have been the key factor in the ongoing demoralization of the Romans and the end of Rome as a vital multinational force. Even though elements of that empire continued until the 14th century, and traditions remain to the present day (e.g., the Vatican), the "Pax Romana" ended soon after this time. The Huns followed a "scorched earth" policy of destroying all that lay across their paths. All Europe was disrupted by them, because even places not destroyed by the Huns themselves were disrupted by the huge numbers of people who fled from them. Not until the 20th century have we seen similarly indiscriminate destruction and chaos. Jancso's Young Attila gives us some insight into the character of this disturbing man and how he could have precipitated such horrors.