Der Eroberer von Korinth

THE CONQUEROR OF CORINTH is a poorly-made peplum epic that tells the story of the war between Rome and the city-state of Corinth, by focusing on various characters on either side of the divide. Unfortunately a lot of it boils down to repetitive scenes of characters being captured and romancing each other a lot, while the pace is truly plodding and the characters completely uninteresting.

Perhaps something is lost in the dubbing, I don't know, but truly there's nothing worthwhile here. There's no real spectacle, and the battle scenes are dull; they look like stock footage from another movie, even though they're probably not. The action choreography is non-existent and this is one of those talky productions where it's impossible to like any of those involved.

Cast-wise, the great Gordon Mitchell - star of many a strongman epic - is hidden away in support as a general, while John Drew Barrymore is given free reign to chew the scenery as only he can. Gianna Maria Canale lends glamour, as always, but it's not enough to make this anywhere near worth watching.

The Greek province of Corinth rebels against its Roman rulers...

Based on real-life events that occurred during the time of Caesar, THE CONQUEROR OF CORINTH makes the rebels out to be the bad guys for some reason but before the city is torched with cheesy special effects, there's enough beefcake, cheesecake, and battle scenes to satisfy any genre fan. John Drew Barrymore (wearing little more than a micro-mini tunic and a "Snidely Whiplash" sneer) plays Basil Rathbone to star Jacques Sernas' Errol Flynn as he tosses random enemies into a pit of snakes he keeps for just such occasions. Lovely Gianna Maria Canale (a "Miss Italy 1947" runner-up who lost to Lucia Bosé) heats things up as an over-sexed cougar who turns Sernas' wounded centurion over to the enemy after he spurns her advances and her duel (dagger vs. bullwhip) with the hero's main squeeze is a lowbrow highlight -as is a muscular Gordon Mitchell getting rubbed down by his hirsute manservant. Unfortunately, there's no "conqueror of Corinth", per se.

Jacques Sernas plays a Roman centurion sent to Corinth which, along with other Greek cities, is threatening to sever its ties with Rome. Diplomacy fails, revolt breaks out, and a Roman army must finally be brought in to restore order.

Despite being on different sides, Sernas and Genevieve Grad -- the daughter of Corinth's ruler -- manage to fall in love, and the ups-and-downs of their "forbidden" relationship provides much of the material for the movie's plot.

Although just one of the "Sword and Sandal" movies which came out of Italy following the worldwide success in 1958 of Steve Reeves' "Hercules," this entry in the cycle is done in a competent, efficient manner which neatly balances the "big" story of the revolt with the "personal" story of the Roman-boy-meets-Greek-girl romance. Scenes of armies on the march or in battle become a bit wearing, however, especially when accompanied by repetitious music.

One disappointment comes when Sernas is captured and thrown into prison by the Corinthians. One of these Corinthians then tells some cronies that the Roman prisoner has been whipped but still refuses to divulge necessary information. Rather than simply being told about this whipping, the movie should have provided a scene of Sernas, stripped to the waist and suspended by his wrists, writhing in pain as a whip slashes bloody cuts into his sweaty skin.

We do see him in prison after his whipping, with a few red marks on his arms and upper torso, but these marks don't really resemble whiplashes.

(Note: the opening titles spell "Centurion" as "Centurian.")

Despite a seasoned cast (Jacques Sernas, John Drew Barrymore, Gianna Maria Canale and Gordon Mitchell), this is still a strictly average peplum – the direct result of a dreary narrative and indifferent handling. Sernas is a centurion sent to negotiate the surrender of Corinth to Rome but the king, instigated by his adviser Barrymore (who, as if his generally sinister countenance were not reptilian enough, is made to keep a variety of snakes…and, predictably, himself dies at their hands!) wants to keep up the fight. Leading the opposition is an elderly statesman who, unbelievably, has Canale for a wife (which leads her to subsequently pine for Sernas but he only has eyes for the king's own daughter!). Mitchell, then, is the Roman warrior dispatched to deliver the coup-de-grace to the country and who, naturally, finds Sernas' attempts to make the takeover bid a pacifist one weak-kneed and downright treacherous! Incidentally, this is the first of 7 films I will be watching in the same vein in the coming week, all of which happen to feature Mitchell in various guises and nationalities.

For the record, the TV-sourced copy I watched was marred by intermittent audio glitches – which occurs with an alarming frequency on this one channel, "Movies 4 Men"! – that sometimes made the dialogue (not that it was particularly inspired or even compelling) hard to make out! By the way, given that the original Italian-language version of this one is apparently 105 minutes long, it is no surprise that the 74-minute English-dubbed edition I watched felt somewhat rushed, particularly at the end; regrettably, although the cast list includes Luis Bunuel and "Fantozzi" regular Milena Vukotic I did not recognize her and, for all I know, it could well be that all her footage ended up getting trimmed! The film, then, is nothing special but the committed contribution of both Canale (engaged at one point in a one-on-one with the heroine, she not only unaccountably ends up on the receiving end of the latter's whip but is even impaled on her own dagger!) and a typically intense Barrymore (needless to say, his own advances towards the leading lady are also vehemently rejected) makes one regret that it was not any better

Protests break out in Corinth against Roman domination, injuring Caius Vinicius, a Roman centurion. He's rescued by Hebe -daughter of the anti-Roman governor, Critolaus - who's being unsuccessfully wooed by the governor's second-in-command, the villainous Diaeus.

Smitten, Hebe sends the handsome Roman to recuperate at the home of Callicrates, a political moderate. Artemide, wife of Callicrates, also falls for Caius Vinicus but when he spurns her, she has him arrested and imprisoned.

Hebe then agrees to marry Diaeus if he will spare the Roman's life but Caius Vinicius is soon freed by Callicrates and his allies, just as a Roman army arrives to battle Corinthian forces.

The historical period is interesting, centred around Rome replacing Greece as the dominant empire around the Mediterranean, and there are many political arguments and, in between, a romantic triangle between the two sides with the villainous Diaeus wanting the king's daughter but she fancies a young Roman she saved. And a married man-eater played by Gianna Maria Canale got the hots for the Roman, but he only has eyes for the king's daughter. Phew!

I actually quite enjoyed this one as the dialogue is sharp, liked the political intermingled with the romance. It's a romp, efficiently made and an engaging one- however, it lacks action, except towards the end, but the drama is good and there's some tasty villainy - Gianna Maria Canale plays a bitter married woman hurt that her prospective toy boy wants someone else, but it's John Drew Barrymore as Diaeus who brings the house down. He plays a slimy character, forever sneering, decked in black and sports an odd hobby - keeping snakes in a pit and he's even prone to throwing you in it when the mood suits him. He even ties the damsel to the pit with a promise that she will be bitten.