La corona di ferro

The Crown of Iron was screened at the Venice Biennale before an audience that included Nazi propagandist Josef Goebbels. Goebbels was, not surprisingly, keenly interested in film because of its propaganda value, and its ability to shape the national Weltanschaung. He was utterly appalled by the film, and relieved to note that nothing like it would ever be made in Germany. The film itself was, he wrote, 'not even worth commenting on'. Afterwards there was a reception, which glittered with fascist dignitaries, but this did nothing to appease Herr Goebbels. 'It's movies that matter,' he wrote. The disgust of Dr Goebbels was reason enough for me to see this movie. I learned about this from the excellent documentary 'The Goebbels Experiment'.

The Iron Crown is a wonderful fantasy film that carries on the great traditions of Italian pepla such as Cabiria. There are hints that the filmmakers had seen Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but The Iron Crown also anticipates---and establishes the blueprint for---films as disparate as Shrek, The Princess Bride, and many of the renewed pepla cycle of the 60s. The film is also echoed by Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast, though it is certainly a lighter hearted affair. Wrestler Primo Carnera is on hand as a loyal strong man, adding interest for fans of the squared circle. Skillfully blending comedy, romance, and action, this is not to be missed.

The basic story is not bad, but this is just not a great movie. The hero follows a stag through the woods on his quest, tames lions, escapes all danger, and wins the female leader of the slaves. Compounding poor production and stiff acting is that the English subtitles are not contrasted against the background, making reading them difficult if not impossible at times. Then too, many shots, including some with subtitles, do not stay on the screen long enough to register. Production does not contrast well with DeMille epics nor Massimo Girotti's acting with that of Johnny Weissmuller, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., or Errol Flynn. On the plus side, there are some very interesting scenes involving differences in tournament jousting -- much different that what we have seen in English mythology films. Best left in the can.

I saw this film on TV several times as a boy in the early or mid-1950s. At that age, it was a genuine sword and sorcerer fantasy. The weird part was years later when I'd try to explain the plot to someone. It was too complex and didn't make a whole lot of sense. When videotapes became available I tracked it down, bought it and watched it. It was just as strange as I'd remembered. It was also just as absorbing as it had been at the age of 10. An earlier comment about the quality of the movie on tape was accurate. It appeared to be taken from a damaged print and the subtitles are often unreadable. Still this is an interesting piece of film history. It's not for everyone, but for those interested in Italian film, epic blockbusters, etc., it can be fun. I'd like to see a good DVD version.

Bravo Blassetti ! Bravo Massimo Girotti ! What a surprise from Italy! An Epic saga..Mythological & religious...Sort of an Italian Star Wars meets Robin Hood meets Ben Hur ! Action ! Lust ! Mythological settings ! Forests, loincloths ,moats,chariots, swords, jousting & a story line which never loses your interest!!What a Spectacle !! predates most of our great spectacular films of the 1950s by many yrs (Ok, we had silent films King of Kings & 10 Commandments & some other De Mille Films, Sign of the Cross etc) but this mythological setting was unusual for the times... Cant wait to see again.. Massimo Girotti whose work I know from Senso & later Medea is excellent... rest of cast were not known to me & also not aware of director, Blassetti.... now I am !Will look forward to viewing The Iron Crown again,.and other films by Blassetti..Thanks again TCM !!