Ursus

I taped this off late-night TV 10+ years ago, and dusted it off recently on a free evening for a return engagement. Maybe I was distracted the first time I watched it back then, because I was quite impressed with it this time around. First, although Ed Fury's acting is sometimes criticized by writers about the peplum genre, he handles the role with the seriousness it deserves, yet has an undeniable charm that such a hero needs on

the screen. I need to dig out some more of his films. Second, the sets are quite imaginative for a low budget film and are able to suggest much more than they actually show. Third, the plot has a number of nice twists in its final third, and the film culminates in a genuinely exciting climax and satisfying resolution. Story-writer Guiseppe Mangione was also responsible for such offbeat items as Tony Anthony's first two "Stranger" films, Barbara Steele's "Angel for Satan," the interesting "Hypnosis," and others. Finally, director Carlo Campogalliani has credits dating back to the silent era, and he manages to use his directorial sleight-of-hand to make the film seem much bigger budgeted than it actually was... always the sign of a true professional and artist. The bullfight scene was very well done, with a combination of Fury, a stuntman, and a stuffed Ed Fury doll (at least, I'm guessing that was how it was done). The editing is fine in that scene also. Computer effects have spoiled many young film fans today--this kind of combination of director and editor creating a magical sleight-of-hand that makes us "see" what isn't actually happening is always worthy of praise and is exciting to watch. In short, an excellent entry in the sword-and-sandal genre, and a credit to star Ed Fury (who has always reminded me of a muscular version of Edd Byrnes or the young 1950s Clint Eastwood)

This is one of 4 films I will be watching during this Easter Epic marathon revolving around the titular muscle-bound hero (inspired by a character in QUO VADIS [1951]). In the long run, this proved to be a tolerable outing (with a script co-written by Sergio Sollima) – though it nearly shot itself in the foot immediately, with the silly quasi-Alpine chanting accompanying the opening credits (especially unwarranted in the wake of a massacre which had just occurred in the prologue moments before!). Ed Fury is a serviceable lead as these films go; also in the cast is a very young Soledad Miranda (though nearly 10 more years would have to pass before she rose to minor stardom in a handful of Jess Franco movies, which eventually developed into a cult following her tragic death soon after). The plot sees the hero returning from war only to discover that his intended (Moira Orfei) has been abducted; so, he sets out in search of her with a devoted but blind slave/shepherdess in tow (who, amazingly, regains her sight when she gets hit in the head by a bull in the arena!). Incidentally, the latter animal – whom Ursus also fought in the aforementioned Hollywood epic milestone – unaccountably beats Fury (or, more precisely, his stand-in) to a pulp before the latter can muster enough strength (or is that anger?) to overpower it! As it happens, Orfei is revealed to have turned cruel and evil in the interim, getting her just desserts in the end…which, of course, leaves the hero free rein with the gushing shepherdess.

Ursus, Maciste, Goliath, Samson, Hercules, Atlas, wow, those Italian muscle man producers must have had a hard time figuring out what to call the musclebound actors who played all these legendary muscleman heroes.....In the "Mighty Ursus" Ed Fury, formerly Ed Holovochick, has to find his former fiancé and attack some nasty villains in the process....this is a typical sword and sandal movie of the time....Fury was a decent actor but nowhere nearly as muscular as Gordon Scott, Mark Forrest and Steve Reeves who made the bulk of these "epics" so to speak.......the public back in the early 60s loved these sword and sandal epics....the budgets were very skimpy for these films, but handsome musclebound actors and women running around in skimpy costumes made the male audiences flock into the theater..... The plots were mostly all the same, a damsel in distress, evil rulers overthrowing a population and our hero coming to the rescue....Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, Mark Forrest, Richard Harrison, and Fury made a flock of these films. Ursus proved a popular title and several "Ursus" films were made with a few different actors. In some of these Italian films the muscleman was called "Maciste"...go figure.....Fury got tired of these cheap, low budget sword and sandal flicks and went back to Hollywood for a little success.

This mythological movie is plenty of adventures , emotions , thrills , atmospheric settings and colorful scenarios well photographed . Sword and Sandals film centers upon Ursus , the bouncing hunk man who fights against evil people . He befriends a blind girl and he's fending off the villains . The good guys are Ed Fury (Ursus), Maria Luisa Merlo (the blind girl) , Luis Prendes , Manuel Gil and the bad guys are Rafael Luis Calvo , Roberto Camardiel (secondary in many spaghetti western) and Moira Orfei (sister of Liana Orfei also ordinary in Peplum) . Ursus will defeat them at an island where's the headquarter ruled by Moira Orfei who's usually in these flicks .

The corpulent Ed Fury was a hunk man who made lots of roman epic films also called ¨Musclemen movies¨ . Other stars by the time on this type of movies are Mark Forest , Gordon Mitchell, Dan Vadis , Alan Steel , Samson Burke , Reg Park , Rock Stevens , Kirk Morris , Brad Harris and 'Gordon Scott' and of course , the great Steve Reeves , as nobody, nevertheless, topped Steve in popularity .This is a regular spaghetti/paella , myth-opera with action , love , battles and luxurious landscapes . The movie has not mythological accuracy neither expecting historical . There was used sets left over from King of Kings (1961) by Nicholas Ray . Evocative as well as atmospheric musical score by Roman Vlad . Colorful cinematography by Eloy Meya and filmed on location in Algete , Madrid . The film was regularly directed by Carlo Campollani who made many fables of this kind . Carlo along with Vittorio Cottafavi and Giorgio Ferroni continued to realize films in the historical-spectacular style , at which he developed an acceptable skill and mastery .

This film belongs to a quartet about this hunk character , ¨Ursus¨ , such as : "The Vengeance of Ursus" (1961) by Luigi Capuano with Samson Burke , Wandisa Guida , Livio Lorenzon , ¨Ursus in valley of lions¨ (1961) by Carlo Ludovico with similar actors as Ed Fury , Maria Luisa Merlo , Moira Orfei and Alberto Lupo , "The Son of Hercules in the Land of Fire" (1963) by Giorgio Simonelli with Ed Fury , Luciana Gilli and Claudia Mori . ¨Ursus¨ movie is derived from Buddy Baer's character who is named "Ursus" , a secondary role in the famous colossal ¨Quo Vadis¨ (1951) directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starred by Robert Taylor and Deborah Kerr . The movie Ursus (1961) obtained success and originated a second part . Rating 4,5/10 , passable though mediocre .

To defend his countrymen, mighty Ursus goes off to war in a foreign land, a war that will last several years. Victorious, he returns home planning to marry his fiancée Attea, only to learn that she has been kidnapped in his absence by a bizarre religious cult living on a far-off island. Ursus enlists the aid of a young blind slave girl, Doreide, whom he used to know as a child, and together they embark on a quest to look for and rescue his lost Attea.

Ursus and Doreide finally arrive on the island, only to be captured by the villians, led by their masked queen, an evil woman who orders the sacrifice of virgins to her bull-god. But Ursus soon takes the bull by the horns and turns the table around ...

Ed Fury joins the muscle and toga brigade, which consists of Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott and Mark Forest to name a few, in this peplum that follows the well-worn path of this genre, but it has some good moments such as the desert sequence where Ursus and the blind girl are thirsty, the adventure and landscapes and the exquisite palace of the femme fatale. There's a rather horrid Queen who predictably keeps Ursus alive longer so she can have fun time with him. But then there's a twist concerning Ursus' kidnapped girlfriend- it took me by surprise. The film ends with a bullfight - poor stuntman earns his dinero as he gets tossed around in all different directions! - and a mass attack. Ed Fury is competent in the role of Ursus, though in his dialogue - the dubbed English - he states the bleeding obvious and his booming voice reminds me of Roger Ramjet. The acting honours go to Maria Luisa Merlo who plays the blind girl who helps Ursus in his quest.