Centurians of Rome (1981)

You won't see this one on TV because it consists mainly of man on man sexual acts which do not look simulated. There is only one woman (a slave) in the film for about 2 seconds and she's promptly told to get lost. George Payne looks like a gladiator, but should have been mute...his NYC accent is atrocious. Eric Ryan is the standout as the lusty centurion who imprisons Payne and then seizes his friend (Scorpio) whom he promptly rapes and then falls in love with. "The Emperor" is just plain awful, summoning Payne to his bed and then having sexy Ryan arrested so he can rape him. The sound track music is very good but I think parts of it were lifted from the legitimate "Flash Gordon" film, which may be another reason you won't see this any time soon. Definitely a classic for its ambitions to tell a porno story in a historical period, but mainly suited for gay and "gladiator" enthusiasts for whom it is a "wet dream."

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
Claiming to be one of the most expensive gay films of its time (nearly $100,000 to produce), this Hand-in-Hand film is famous for reportedly having been financed by a former Brinks armored-car guard, who stole almost $2 million from the truck he was guarding in 1980. Lloyd's of London, an insurer of Brinks, thus became one of the co-owners of the film on a technicality.

Goofs
During the slave auction, the bidding was in drachmas, which is a Greek currency. It should have been in sestertii. The emperor was never addressed as "Your Majesty". He would have been addressed as Caesar, or Imperator.