La muraille de feu

This made for a belated addition to a Bragaglia peplum trilogy that also incorporated the lesser QUEEN OF BABYLON (1954) and THE FOUR MUSKETEERS (1963). However, it was not watched under congenial circumstances given the English dubbing (though the print emerges as reasonably handsome) as well as the panning-and-scanning. Besides, some abrupt plot development throughout indicates the version I acquired (running 88 minutes) was slightly trimmed since the IMDb gives its full-length as 95.

The film itself is quite good and decidedly literate, though perhaps not enough to do justice to Torquato Tasso's epic poem "La Gerusalemme Liberata" (which was also the picture's original title). The narrative unfortunately resorts to contrived romantic situations, and we even get two for the price of one – involving Christian males (Francisco Rabal and Rik Battaglia) and Muslim ladies (Sylva Koscina and Gianna Maria Canale). That said, the teaming of Luis Bunuel regular Rabal (in atypical hero mode) and Koscina (who also gets in on the action!) is ideal; interestingly, the tragic finale has the two unwittingly engage in a duel and one of them ends up killing the other! Genre stalwart Canale, on the other hand, treads familiar i.e. duplicitous territory.

The film obviously elicits comparison with the likes of THE CRUSADES (1935) and KING RICHARD AND THE CRUSADERS (1954) and actually falls somewhere in between in both approach and effect (being also decidedly sober in comparison with most entries within this field!). Portions of the main theme by Roberto Nicolosi felt oddly familiar: I am sure it was used in some Mexi-Horror that I watched earlier this year, or else was in a trailer gallery included on the disc containing a couple of them, but I cannot for the life of me tell just which one! Anyway, the finale has Christians gathered victoriously atop a hillside in reverent prayer (accompanied by angelic chorus) and capped with Christ's cross appearing fleetingly in the skies.

I have put the hand of a bunch of promo-reels (running time of each one is 2' average) put on a VHS, with a good video report, in English speaking version for most of them and in French for at least one of them (I have not checked all of them since I got this treasure VHS by a cinephilic miracle) , of almost 40 Italian westerns, peplums, medieval, pirates, jungle, horror, thriller, polizioti, etc. movies shot between 1955 and 1986 but most of them covering 1960-1970. Amazing treasure. Most of them are not pan & scanned and offers cinemascope. Some of them are 1.66 and 1.66 = 16/9. Among them, the promo-reel (2' approximatively) of this Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, one the great peplum directors, starring Sylva Koscina and the sultry Gianna Maria Canale... : when such a movie will be restaured and offered in full running time. The promo-reel that I just looked at gives me a deep will to see more of it. Directing work is classic, cinemascope picture beautiful, landscapes and scenery somptuous ! This one is a Medieval and violent story about crusades.

It seems that the crusade has lost its raison d'être ; to redeem his soul,Godefroy De Bouillon had heeded pope Urban the Second's call : to free the Christ's tomb from the infidels ; after the victory , chivalrous Godefroy claimed they fought for justice ;the religious side is almost passed over in silence ,which is amazing ,all the same! There are more fights and more love affairs than hints at the Holy Sepulcre .

Most of the plot is invented from start to finish : Tancrède De Hauteville did exist and he did urge the crusaders to spare their enemies' lives (which he tells the absolutely implausible female warrior Clorinda in the movie) for, unlike their attitude in the screenplay ,the occident men massacred too. Jerusalem was defended by Egyptians Fatimides.

The movie is an entertaining swashbuckler ,but should not be taken seriously .The adventures of Renaldo D'Este seem taken by force from another "historical" movie " Rolando e i paladini di Francia "(1956) , in which the Saracens sent a "secret weapon" ,a gorgeous girl to cause dissension among their enemies ( Gianna Maria Canale replacing Rossana Schiaffino, Rik Battaglia is charmed in both films)