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Maria Felix in the title role is a captivating Messalina because she portrays this unlovely character with a full range of emotions...imperious and haughty, winsome and cajoling while cozening her dotard husband, needy and pleading with her main lover Caius Cilius (Georges Marchal), cold and calculating as she casually murders a young smitten boy, and ultimately terrified when her crafty machinations go awry and she is bereft of any friends or allies. Though taking great liberty with actual historical events, the film presents the most notorious woman in Roman history as a many-faceted complex person of deep and dark passions who comes to an ignominious end through her excesses and folly. And the magnificent Maria is up to the challenge, giving the best portrait of Messalina on screen to date. She ruthlessly pursues her treasonous agenda while "foolish" Emperor Claudius devotes his attention to one of his pet projects, dredging the silted-up port of Brindisi to free it for shipping.

The reputation of Messalina, third wife of Emperor Claudius, as being murderous and sexually rapacious is mainly based upon the histories of Suetonius and Tacitus while Juvenal in his sixth satire was far from complimentary. There is no smoke without fire of course but subsequent opinion would suggest that previous accounts were politically biased character assassinations in which historical facts were mixed with gossip. We all know that gossip is like mud: it sticks. Needless to say her character has proved endlessly fascinating to writers, painters, sculptors and composers of both ballet and opera. She has been portrayed on screen from as early as 1910 and here we have Maria Felix in the role. This sensual, smouldering actress resisted the blandishments of Hollywood, turning down 'The Barefoot Contessa' and did not venture much outside her native Mexico. However 'Messalina' certainly increased her international profile and probably paved the way for her French films the best of which is 'French Cancan'. The director here is Carmine Gallone whose most notorious film is the egregiously propogandist 'Scipio Africanus' of 1937 which was made to justify Italy's invasion of Abyssinia. That film featured Camillo Pilotto as Hannibal and Memo Benassi as Cinna both of whom appear in this. Benassi in particular is excellent as Claudius. Very good support also from Jean Chevrier as Valerius, Germaine Kerjean as the 'witch' and Jean Tissier, suitably flamboyant as Mnester. It is beautifully shot by Anchise Brizzi and the excellent, understated score is by Renzo Rossellini. The gladiatorial combats are generally well handled and the obligatory one-sided 'Christians versus Lions' contest has an unusual twist to say the least. Historically inaccurate to be sure but extremely watchable. Maria is mean, moody and magnificent.