Spicy mix of muscle-bound sandal film and frivolous erotic comedy with the sixties dream couple Olga Schoberova and Brad Harris
In this film, made in 1969, the Italian director Guido Malatesta mixes elements of the somewhat outdated sandal film with those of the commedia sexy all'ìtaliana, which was becoming increasingly popular in those years. The film was produced by Romana-Film under Fortunato Misiano, who six years earlier was responsible for the serious Umberto Lenzi film "Katharina von Russland / Catherine of Russia / Caterina di Russia" (1963) with the German star Hildegard Knef in the title role.
The leading roles are played by the beautiful Czech actress Olga Schoberova (here: Olinka Berova) and the American actor Brad Harris. Both stars were married from 1967 to 1969 and appeared together in the German Eurospy classic "Kommissar X: Drei grüne Hunde / Strategic command chiama Jo Walker" in 1967.
Poppea, who was violated by Roman soldiers, seeks justice in Rome for the injustice she suffered, but finds that her stunning beauty is repeatedly exploited. So she turns the tables and uses her impressive assets (which are of course always presented to advantage in the film!) for an unprecedented rise to become Empress of Rome at the side of the borderline idiotic Nero. Poppea is only rejected by the virtuous general Claudius Valerius (played by the gigantic Brad Harris, this time with a beard), who, after a five-year absence, is more than indignant about Rome's decline in morals. Of course, the voluptuous beauty can't let that go, and so a number of complications arise, including the brothel beauty Livia (played by the enchanting Italian actress Femi Benussi) and the strong soldier Marcus (played by the Italian actor Renato Rossini / Howard Ross, who also provides some good fight scenes) are important.
Bare breasts, raunchy dialogues and intense fight scenes ensure that there is no chance of boredom. The German dubbing repeatedly includes political peaks from the time (capitalism/conflict in the Middle East), which seem unnecessary and silly from today's perspective. The jokes about same-sex love and the all-too-callous dismissal of Poppea's sexual abuse at the beginning of the film also seem very out of date.
The film is worth seeing because of the actors and as a document of the time the film was made. If you manage not to take the whole thing too seriously, you'll be entertained for an hour and a half.
