Las vírgenes de Roma

I recently saw AMAZONS OF ROME on cable. The first thing that stood out was the look. The quality of the transfer was truly beautiful: pristine and sharp. The lighting, the background sky, the sets, the costumes, everything looked authentic and gorgeous. Credit should go to cinematographer Marc Fossard. It looked like it was filmed yesterday. Much better looking than 90% of Peplums made during that time, including the stilted and dull THE 300 SPARTANS. With that said, the story is lifeless. It lacks urgency. Is it a comedy or a drama? The whole thing looks like a bad sex comedy. Sorta like GIDGET GOES TO WAR. Or THE COLOSSUS & THE AMAZON QUEEN.

But the film's biggest liability was casting Louis Jourdan as a Barbarian. What, Cary Grant wasn't available? I'm certain producers hired Jourdan in order to get financing for the film but it was a big mistake. He's simply too debonair to be a Barbarian. Sylvia Syms looks like Julie Andrews before Julie Andrews made her first movie. The best actor in the whole thing is Ettore Manni. Totally believable in anything he does, certainly in Sword & Sandal films. What a great, overlooked actor.

It's a shame the production team for this film wasn't involved in a more action oriented or serious story. The looked of it all would have rocked even more if it hadn't been involved with such a lightweight story.

You know you might be in for a less than stellar time when a film has more than one screenwriter. There are exceptions, of course, but this one has at least four, and thus is no exception to the rule.

My favorite part in this turkey is during the fight at the flimsy wooden bridge at the beginning of the film when one of the extras playing a barbarian puts his hands up to his face and you can clearly see a Band-Aid on his thumb. Once you see something like this, it's hard to take the rest of the film seriously.

It's amazing when you think that Sylvia Syms played the female lead in the excellent Dirk Bogarde film, "Victim," in the same year she appeared in "Amazons of Rome."

Porsena , the Etruscan leader (Jean Chevrier) , attacks and besieges Rome. He is supported by a warrior chieftain (Louis Jourdan) and his barbaric allies . But Rome is being defended by embattled women warriors , then Porsena takes hostages the valiant Amazon Warriors led by Clelia (Sylvia Syms) . Meanwhile , a Roman youth named Gaius Mucius (Corrado Pani) sneaked into the Etruscan camp with the approval of the Senate, intent on assassinating Porsena . He advised Porsena that he was merely the first of 300 Roman youths who would attempt such a deed, one after another until they succeeded. To prove his valour, Mucius thrust his right hand into a sacrificial fire, thereby earning for himself and his descendants the cognomen Scaevola ("lefty"). Later on , Lars Porsena was really impressed by particular acts of Roman bravery and the Amazon Warriors .

This is a passable sword and sandals movie with action , a love story , battles , spectacular scenarios and historical backstage . There are some historical characters as Mucius Escevola and Porsena who watching the courage and bold acts from Roman people defending the city he chose to make peace . Louis Jourdan is acceptable as a Barbarian and historical hero who finds many dangerous situations while attempting to attack Rome and save his true love , Clelia : Sylvia Syms , of several risks .Being an Italian/French co-production , here appears various notorious actors from both nacionalities such as: Corrado Pani , Ettore Manni , Nicole Courcel , Jean Chevrier , Jacques Dufilho , and Michel Piccoli . The motion picture was professionally directed by two Peplum experts : Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, and Vittorio Cottafavi .

The motion picture is based on true events but has not prospect historical . The real deeds are the followings : Lars Porsena came into conflict with Rome after the revolution that overthrew the monarchy there in 509 BC, resulting in the exile of the semi-legendary last king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus . Tarquino(534-509, B.C.) was the seventh and last king of Rome and he governed tyrannically . The rape of Lucrecia by his son caused a riot and he was overthrown , the Roman Republic was proclaimed and he actually disappeared . The deposed monarch, whose family was of Etruscan origin, tried and failed to retake the throne a number of times before appealing to Porsena for assistance. Lars Porsena agreed to help. One story tells that, during his siege of Rome, a young enemy called Mucius who came into the king's presence, he could not distinguish Porsena from his secretary, who was similarly attired. Through misrecognition Mucius stabbed the secretary and then tried to flee . He was immediately captured by the Etruscans and brought before Porsena, whereupon Mucius bluntly declared his identity and his intent . Then Mucius puts his hand into a sacrificial fire . Astonished and impressed by the young man's courage, Porsena gave Mucius his freedom and dismissed him from the camp. Another tale of the war concerns the Roman hostages taken by Porsena as part of the treaty. One of the hostages, a young woman named Cloelia, fled the Etruscan camp, leading away a group of Roman virgins. Porsena demanded that she be returned, and the Romans consented. On her return, however, Porsena was so impressed by her bravery that he asked her to choose half the remaining hostages to be freed. She selected all the youngest Roman boys . In 507 BC, Porsena once again sent ambassadors to the Roman senate, requesting the restoration of Tarquinius to the throne. Legates were sent back to Porsena, to advise him that the Romans would never re-admit Tarquinius, and that Porsena should out of respect for the Romans cease requesting Tarquinius' readmittance. Porsena agreed, telling Tarquinius to continue his exile elsewhere than Clusium. Porsena also restored to the Romans their hostages, and also the lands of Veii that had been taken from Rome by treaty. Livy records that, by these matters, a faithful peace between Porsena and Rome was created . Rating : 5.5/10 , Average Peplum fodder , though better than most Sword and Sandals movies , thanks to Louis Jourdan and slick direction .

This is a well-made historical actioner with the most memorable performance being given by Ettore Manni, who is much more comfortable in this early Roman period than either of his costars Sims or Jourdan. Manni, as in so many of his other films, steals the whole show. In this case he's the heroic and ill-fated Horatio who dies defending the bridge.

Wow! I wish all my Sword and Sandal films looked this good. He print shown on TCM was crystal clear and in widescreen! The story is OK but it is the Cinematography that really makes this film shine.

Sylvia Syms is absolutely gorgeous in this one and I don't agree with the reviewer who says that Louis Jordan is miscast for the part. Oh, I agree he is no barbarian. But that isn't his role. His charismatic portrayal is perfect for the part. The opening battle scenes is where he steals the show.

Seeing this one in widescreen good quality was a real treat. It's too bad all of the other Sword and Sandal movies couldn't be viewed the way they were meant to be seen. That is good quality and widescreen. See this TCM print!