L'Enlèvement des Sabines

This wasn't a bad film, another take on those horny Roman guys and the Sabine women they kidnap. (I often wonder what really happened back then, as you get myths, stories, songs by Howard keel, etc. But you'll never know unless you time travel.)

It was nice to see Roger Moore in his pre-Bond days (was this pre-Saint, too?) he made a good Romulus, though a bit on the fickle side, and a bit tactless when he told his soon-to-be-discarded girlfriend "I no longer want you." (That's right Rom, break it to her gently!) Just his luck, his second love is a dedicated vestal virgin, torn between her love for him and duty to her vows.

There was some action as well as comedy, and I like the way the kidnapped ladies remained independent and feisty, rejecting Romulus's plan to have a lottery to assign partners, no way! These ladies were choosing their own husbands! Just because they were kidnapped, didn't mean they'd be bossed around!

A fun movie !

There are many versions of this movie kicking around but the original is still the best. LBX and all the topless scenes included. If you watch the TRAILER on Y/T you can see glimpses of the topless bits. If you watch any of the movies, those breast scenes are all cut out. I have the original with everything showing. Plus in LBX and great colour it fantastic. Roger Moore is perfect for the role of the Roman leader.

For those of us who love Seven Brides For Seven Brothers and want to know just what inspired those Pontipee Brothers to court their women the way they did we have Romulus And The Sabines out of Roman legends to tell us. Least that's what Plutarch said.

Romulus And The Sabine Women is a cut above the usual peplum product from Italy at the time. It stars Roger Moore as Romulus one of the legendary founders of Rome and we're at the pioneer days of Rome when Romulus who is the son of Mars and therefore half divine has talked a bunch of men to pull up stakes and settle on a promising site on the banks of the Tiber River. But like pioneers depicted in such films like Westward The Women or Paint Your Wagon these guys have cleared the land and made a city, but there aren't any women.

Even the leader is feeling some pangs and he does realize that we do need the other sex if the city is to grow and prosper. Those folks from Sabinia in the next county have women, so get women from them one way or another.

The story is presented accurately as has come down to us. Roger Moore is definitely nice to look at, but for once the leading man in a peplum is not dependent on his physique for attention. The particular object of his affection Mylene Demongeot, Sabine princess and consecrated vestal virgin and French cinema legend is also an eyeful.

Speaking of eyefuls Romulus And The Sabines has as a real treat a meeting with the Gods. In a dream sequence Romulus seeks advice from dear old dad, Mars the God of War, but that other Roman deity Venus insists on putting her two cisterces in. They're played by Jean Marais and Rosanna Schiaffino and they have the best dialog in the film, even dubbed.

This is not bad and might even prompt a reading of the classics by some young viewers. That's always worthwhile, at least that's what Plutarch said.

Romulus, the founder of Rome and his men want wives. The Romans decide to take them from the Sabines and they head to Sabinia to find them. The men of Sabinia will fight back to save their wives and daughters from the first Romans.

The movie is just okay (being generous), it's not really funny these days - but might have been humorous at the time of it's release.

This film has 007 himself, Roger Moore, in his early career. Roger Moore fans might find this film interesting for that reason.

Overall I was not happy with the film. It's just not funny to me.

2/10

This is really a rare movie. A totally forgotten one. In its times, it was lost among the deluge of others, more fortunate films of the genre so called "swords and sandals". It was a veritable Tower of Babel, mixing English, French, Italian, German and another languages between the cast and the crew. Today, it has survived in versions with dubbing in German, Spanish and French but not in English or Italian. Even it exists a copy in Russian, with the voices that make the translation, overlaying to the dialogue in German. And the formats are a nightmare. There are in the old 4:3 proportion, and in the new 16:9 standard, even in the original 2.35:1. And the editions of the film are also different, so don't dream about putting the sound track that you understand, in place of the one in another language because it's a task for the Mission Impossible Force. Nevertheless I confess that I like this unwanted concoction. Let's begin with the cast. Romulus is Roger Moore. This was the year 1961 and The Saint, The Persuaders! and James Bond were in the future. Sir Roger came from Hollywood, where in the fifties he had participated in a series of films for MGM and WB without much of a success. But in TV, already, he had three series under his belt: Ivanhoe, The Alaskans and the Fourth Season of Maverick replacing the great James Garner. Instead of muscle he created a very likable Romulus. Handsome, proud, ambitious, cunning but also vulnerable and caring. If you are a fan of Sir Roger, he will not disappoint you in this role. The romantic interest is brought about by french actress Mylene Demongeot, a sight for a sore eyes. She is Rea, the daughter of the King of the Sabines. She is breathtakingly beauty but she is consecrated as a Vestal, truly a precarious position for such alluring girl. Today Mylene is recognized as an excellent actress. But Romulus also elicits passions. Scilla Gabel, is the other woman in his life, the Fenician amazon Dusia. Scilla was the Stand-in of Sophia Loren and, in order to earn this job, a woman would have to be voluptuous and very well built. Scilla filled the bill and also had a volcanic temper. But the picture not only deals in lust and passion, there is also tenderness. The young lovers, Lavinia and Lino are very well represented by Giorgia Moll and Marino Mase. Giorgia was known for her part of a Vietamese girl, in the movie The Quiet American (1958). And the Olympic Gods, Venus and Mars, enter in a dream sequence while Romulus is asleep in the temple, debating about the merits of love and war as the driving force in the souls of little mortals. Specially invited for these roles were the Italian temptress, Rossana Schiaffino and the tough and multifaceted French actor, Jean Marais. Furthermore, among the beautiful Women of the Sabines, there is Luisa Mattioli as Silvia. For those who loves trivia, Luisa would become the third wife of Sir Roger and would abandon her incipient cinematic career in favor of the role of mother in real life. And acting as Titus Tasio, king of the Sabines, we found the experienced Italian actor Folco Lulli. The man who prevented the collapse of this Tower of Babel was the Austrian director Richard Pottier. Evidently, an expert in juggling different languages. The result was incredibly good. The story is based in the well known legend of the Kidnap of the Sabines Women, it has action and sense of humor, and it is apt for all audiences. It's not all about war and heroism and brute force. It's about how to be a just leader, a king and a companion and in the end choosing between a glorious future as a powerful monarch or the anonymous destiny beside the woman that one loves.