Romolo e Remo
Encyclopedia
Romolo e Remo is a 1961
film
directed by Sergio Corbucci
and starring Steve Reeves
, Gordon Scott
, and Virna Lisi
.
Tagline: "The Legendary Conflict of Mankind's Mightiest Mortals!"
. This is based on the legend of Romulus and Remus
. Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War.
is teamed with Gordon Scott Tarzan
. Romulus learns from his dying mother that he and his twin were fathered by a god, Romulus and Remus takes it upon themselves to lead their people away from the oppression of the barbarians living around them, leading their people toward the founding of a new city.
Born of a God and a mortal, two babies are abandoned to a river. Nurtured by a wolf, they are later recovered by a shepherd. They grow up to lead a band of thieves in an effort to eliminate two cruel Kings—Amulias and Nemulias, the King of the Sabines. After 20 years, the two twins are briefly reunited with their mother. Before she dies, she tells her sons that they are destined to be the founders of a great city.
Later after having fallen in love with the daughter of Nemulias, Romulus is unaware of his brother’s ambitions as Remus steadily succumbs to the temptations of power and greed. King Tasius pursues the brothers and their followers both to retrieve his daughter as well as avenge the destruction of his city of Alba Longa
. Soon, a rift develops between the two siblings leading to a death duel between both sons of the Gods to determine the true founder of Rome.
Corbucci carefully builds these two characters to the breaking point till avarice and sovereignty totally consumes Remus. Even at this point, Romulus doesn't want to fight his brother only when it is obvious that the two must duel does he take up arms against him. In death, Remus realizes his mistake but finds content in the notion that it was destined from the beginning.
Destiny and fate play an important role in this movie. After Remus defies the Gods by crossing the shorter route to the prophesized city of glory, he and his followers must traverse an unstable volcano. Inevitably, the volcano erupts splitting the mountain in two sending everyone to their doom save for a badly injured Remus and Tarpea, the woman who loves him. As she prays for the Gods to save him, the Sabines arrive with the intentions of killing both of them. Tarpea gives the information to Tasius as to the location of his daughter.
He gives his word to spare them should she speak where Romulus and the others are. When she does, the easily riled Cursias adamantly disapproves of letting them go free. King Tasius responds, "That man has his destiny...as have all of us." The Sabines are, surprisingly, not the real villains here, but Remus, who eventually becomes overpowered by his ambitions to rule a city; a city by which he is willing to sacrifice all for his own gain. At the end, the Sabines join forces with Romulus and it is here that Remus appears and attempts to kill his brother to rule what is to become Rome.
A fine directorial effort by spaghetti western master filmmaker Sergio Corbucci. A great number of Italian technicians worked on this picture including Sergio Leone
. Both Sergio's careers parallel each other (in Italy anyway). Both Sergio's worked as AD's on The Last Days of Pompeii
which led to Leone directing Il Colosso di Rodi
and Corbucci handling Romolo e Remo. Corbucci also had a hand in Maciste Against the Vampires (1961; aka Goliath and the Vampires co-directed with Giacomo Gentilomo.
Frequent Spaghetti Western villain Piero Lulli plays a rare good guy role and gets more screen time than another heroic peplum role in The Triumph of Hercules
(1964). Steve Reeve's stunt double, Giovanni Cianfriglia also plays a small role in the film attempting to have his way with the beautiful Julia until Romulus intervenes and lets his fist explain that the lady isn't interested.
In what is essentially a chase movie in a Roman setting, Corbucci keeps the action moving at a smooth pace perfectly balancing the plot, characterization and the action sequences never allowing the film time to become tiresome. It would be interesting to learn if there were any conflicts on set between both Reeves and Scott but they work well together and both play vastly more interesting personalities than their usual brawny types. The character of Remus being the more interesting and complex of the two, Reeves (of course) gets top billing as the kinder, more cautious Romulus. However, both get equal screen time. Gordon Scott was a better actor than Reeves and would appear to have been more agile in his action scenes.
With such an awesome pedigree both behind and in front of the camera, Corbucci's famous entry in the Sword and Sandal
sweepstakes is one of the greatest the genre has to offer. I'd definitely rate this as one of Corbucci's best films and worthy of a wider audience. Fans familiar with his more well known Italian westerns should seek out this film to see what Sergio Corbucci was capable of outside of the habitual western setting he was most commonly associated with.
After his stint as Tarzan ended, Gordon Scott began expanding his range, doing sword and sandal films, spaghetti western
s (such as The Tramplers), and Eurospy thrillers (such as Danger!! Death Ray), made mostly in Italy and Spain. Scott became very popular in Europe and made a number of popular features there, such as Duel of the Titans (1961, with Steve Reeves), Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World (1962), Goliath and the Vampires (1963), and Danger!! Death Ray
(1965), which Mystery Science Theater 3000 fanatics will recall as episode #620.
. Scott's friend Steve Reeves arranged for Scott to star opposite him in the Sergio Leone-penned saga of Romulus and Remus, released here in the States as DUEL OF THE TITANS. Only the sentimental could seriously argue that Johnny Weissmuller was a superior Tarzan to Gordon Scott, who—in addition to being 6' 3", handsome, with a massive build—was also the superior actor to both Weissmuller and Reeve. The two strongmen played Remus (Mr. Scott) to Romulus (Reeves) in "Duel of the Titans" (1961)and so far is the only movie made about the two bothers of Roman Mythology, about the founding of Rome.
(Romulus)
Gordon Scott
(Remus)
Franco Volpi (Amulias)
Virna Lisi
(Julia)
Andrea Bosic
(Faustalus)
Laura Solari
(Rea Silvia)
Massimo Girroti (Tasius Nemulias)
Jacques Sernas
(Cursias)
Ornella Vanoni
(Tarpea)
Piero Lulli
(Sulpicius)
1961 in film
The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Sergio Corbucci
Sergio Corbucci
Sergio Corbucci was an Italian film director. He is best known for his very violent yet intelligent spaghetti westerns...
and starring Steve Reeves
Steve Reeves
Stephen L. Reeves was an American bodybuilder and actor. At the peak of his career, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe.-Childhood:...
, Gordon Scott
Gordon Scott
Gordon Scott was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films of the Tarzan film series from 1955 to 1960.-Early life, education and military service:He was born Gordon Merrill Werschkul in Portland,...
, and Virna Lisi
Virna Lisi
Virna Lisi is a Cannes and César award-winning Italian film actress. She was born in Ancona, Marche, as Virna Lisa Pieralisi.-Early career:...
.
Tagline: "The Legendary Conflict of Mankind's Mightiest Mortals!"
Summary
Twin brothers revolt against tyranny in pre-Roman Italy and then come to a parting of the ways as they lead their people toward the founding of a new city, known as RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. This is based on the legend of Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus are Rome's twin founders in its traditional foundation myth, although the former is sometimes said to be the sole founder...
. Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War.
The story
The story of Romulus and Remus, twins raised by a wolf; the brothers went on to establish what became known as Rome. Steve Reeves HerculesHercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
is teamed with Gordon Scott Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
. Romulus learns from his dying mother that he and his twin were fathered by a god, Romulus and Remus takes it upon themselves to lead their people away from the oppression of the barbarians living around them, leading their people toward the founding of a new city.
Born of a God and a mortal, two babies are abandoned to a river. Nurtured by a wolf, they are later recovered by a shepherd. They grow up to lead a band of thieves in an effort to eliminate two cruel Kings—Amulias and Nemulias, the King of the Sabines. After 20 years, the two twins are briefly reunited with their mother. Before she dies, she tells her sons that they are destined to be the founders of a great city.
Later after having fallen in love with the daughter of Nemulias, Romulus is unaware of his brother’s ambitions as Remus steadily succumbs to the temptations of power and greed. King Tasius pursues the brothers and their followers both to retrieve his daughter as well as avenge the destruction of his city of Alba Longa
Alba Longa
Alba Longa – in Italian sources occasionally written Albalonga – was an ancient city of Latium in central Italy southeast of Rome in the Alban Hills. Founder and head of the Latin League, it was destroyed by Rome around the middle of the 7th century BC. In legend, Romulus and Remus, founders of...
. Soon, a rift develops between the two siblings leading to a death duel between both sons of the Gods to determine the true founder of Rome.
Reviews
Steve Reeves puts in possibly his best acting gig as the gentle and kind hearted Romulus. He chooses to think his way out of a fight and save those around him as opposed to his brother, who cares only for his own personal gain and glory. Reeves doesn't do any superhuman feats but flexes his acting muscle as does Gordon Scott as the supercilious Remus.Corbucci carefully builds these two characters to the breaking point till avarice and sovereignty totally consumes Remus. Even at this point, Romulus doesn't want to fight his brother only when it is obvious that the two must duel does he take up arms against him. In death, Remus realizes his mistake but finds content in the notion that it was destined from the beginning.
Destiny and fate play an important role in this movie. After Remus defies the Gods by crossing the shorter route to the prophesized city of glory, he and his followers must traverse an unstable volcano. Inevitably, the volcano erupts splitting the mountain in two sending everyone to their doom save for a badly injured Remus and Tarpea, the woman who loves him. As she prays for the Gods to save him, the Sabines arrive with the intentions of killing both of them. Tarpea gives the information to Tasius as to the location of his daughter.
He gives his word to spare them should she speak where Romulus and the others are. When she does, the easily riled Cursias adamantly disapproves of letting them go free. King Tasius responds, "That man has his destiny...as have all of us." The Sabines are, surprisingly, not the real villains here, but Remus, who eventually becomes overpowered by his ambitions to rule a city; a city by which he is willing to sacrifice all for his own gain. At the end, the Sabines join forces with Romulus and it is here that Remus appears and attempts to kill his brother to rule what is to become Rome.
A fine directorial effort by spaghetti western master filmmaker Sergio Corbucci. A great number of Italian technicians worked on this picture including Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter most associated with the "Spaghetti Western" genre.Leone's film-making style includes juxtaposing extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots...
. Both Sergio's careers parallel each other (in Italy anyway). Both Sergio's worked as AD's on The Last Days of Pompeii
The Last Days of Pompeii (1959 film)
The Last Days of Pompeii is an Italian sword and sandal action film, starring Steve Reeves, Christine Kaufmann and Fernando Rey, and directed by Sergio Leone...
which led to Leone directing Il Colosso di Rodi
Il Colosso di Rodi
Il Colosso di Rodi is a 1961 sword and sandal film directed by Sergio Leone. It was Leone's first work as a credited director, in a genre where he already had worked before . It is by far the least known of his films...
and Corbucci handling Romolo e Remo. Corbucci also had a hand in Maciste Against the Vampires (1961; aka Goliath and the Vampires co-directed with Giacomo Gentilomo.
Frequent Spaghetti Western villain Piero Lulli plays a rare good guy role and gets more screen time than another heroic peplum role in The Triumph of Hercules
The Triumph of Hercules
The Triumph of Hercules, the 1964 film, was one of many Italian sword and sandal epics during the 1960s craze. Originally titled Il Trionfo di Ercole, the film was directed by Alberto De Martino. Hercules was portrayed by Dan Vadis. Comic relief is provided by two bumbling thieves...
(1964). Steve Reeve's stunt double, Giovanni Cianfriglia also plays a small role in the film attempting to have his way with the beautiful Julia until Romulus intervenes and lets his fist explain that the lady isn't interested.
In what is essentially a chase movie in a Roman setting, Corbucci keeps the action moving at a smooth pace perfectly balancing the plot, characterization and the action sequences never allowing the film time to become tiresome. It would be interesting to learn if there were any conflicts on set between both Reeves and Scott but they work well together and both play vastly more interesting personalities than their usual brawny types. The character of Remus being the more interesting and complex of the two, Reeves (of course) gets top billing as the kinder, more cautious Romulus. However, both get equal screen time. Gordon Scott was a better actor than Reeves and would appear to have been more agile in his action scenes.
With such an awesome pedigree both behind and in front of the camera, Corbucci's famous entry in the Sword and Sandal
Sword and sandal
The Peplum , also known as Sword-and-Sandal, is a genre of largely Italian-made Historical or Biblical Epics that dominated the Italian film industry from 1957 to 1965, eventually being replaced in 1965 by the "Spaghetti Western"...
sweepstakes is one of the greatest the genre has to offer. I'd definitely rate this as one of Corbucci's best films and worthy of a wider audience. Fans familiar with his more well known Italian westerns should seek out this film to see what Sergio Corbucci was capable of outside of the habitual western setting he was most commonly associated with.
After his stint as Tarzan ended, Gordon Scott began expanding his range, doing sword and sandal films, spaghetti western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
s (such as The Tramplers), and Eurospy thrillers (such as Danger!! Death Ray), made mostly in Italy and Spain. Scott became very popular in Europe and made a number of popular features there, such as Duel of the Titans (1961, with Steve Reeves), Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World (1962), Goliath and the Vampires (1963), and Danger!! Death Ray
Danger!! Death Ray
Danger!! Death Ray is an 1967 Italian Eurospy secret agent spy film. It was released at a time when the James Bond films, and spy films in general, were very popular internationally. Its original Italian title was Il Raggio infernale, which translates as "The Infernal Beam", and it was also...
(1965), which Mystery Science Theater 3000 fanatics will recall as episode #620.
Conclusions
When Steve Reeves agreed to star in Duel of the Titans, the producer wanted him to play both Romulus and Remus. Reeves objected, saying that the film would be more effective with another actor in the role of Remus. He recommended Gordon Scott, whom Reeves had known for years. The producers agreed with Reeves, and Scott was given the highest salary he had earned thus far for taking the role. Reeves had already garnered fame as Hercules, and Scott was a veteran of some of the best post-Johnny Weismuller Tarzan films; it was a perfect pairing for this tale of the legendary rival siblings who lead their people out of bondage to a more enlightened future. Evidently Scott and Weintraub didn't get along, and Scott was subsequently replaced in the Tarzan role by the leaner, almost-ten-years-older Jock MahoneyJock Mahoney
Jock Mahoney was an American actor and stuntman of Irish, French, and Cherokee ancestry. Born Jacques O'Mahoney, he was credited variously as Jock Mahoney, Jack O'Mahoney or Jock O'Mahoney. He starred in two television series, both westerns...
. Scott's friend Steve Reeves arranged for Scott to star opposite him in the Sergio Leone-penned saga of Romulus and Remus, released here in the States as DUEL OF THE TITANS. Only the sentimental could seriously argue that Johnny Weissmuller was a superior Tarzan to Gordon Scott, who—in addition to being 6' 3", handsome, with a massive build—was also the superior actor to both Weissmuller and Reeve. The two strongmen played Remus (Mr. Scott) to Romulus (Reeves) in "Duel of the Titans" (1961)and so far is the only movie made about the two bothers of Roman Mythology, about the founding of Rome.
Cast
Steve ReevesSteve Reeves
Stephen L. Reeves was an American bodybuilder and actor. At the peak of his career, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe.-Childhood:...
(Romulus)
Gordon Scott
Gordon Scott
Gordon Scott was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films of the Tarzan film series from 1955 to 1960.-Early life, education and military service:He was born Gordon Merrill Werschkul in Portland,...
(Remus)
Franco Volpi (Amulias)
Virna Lisi
Virna Lisi
Virna Lisi is a Cannes and César award-winning Italian film actress. She was born in Ancona, Marche, as Virna Lisa Pieralisi.-Early career:...
(Julia)
Andrea Bosic
Andrea Bosic
Andrea Bosic is an Italian film actor of Slovene origin. He appeared in 52 films between 1951 and 1985, mainly in so-called Spaghetti western...
(Faustalus)
Laura Solari
Laura Solari
Laura Camaur , known by the stage name Laura Solari, was an Italian film actress.-Early life:Laura Camaur was born on 5 January 5, 1913, in Trieste, then part of Austria-Hungary. She was the daughter of sculptor and artist Antonio Camaur and his wife, Maria Taucer...
(Rea Silvia)
Massimo Girroti (Tasius Nemulias)
Jacques Sernas
Jacques Sernas
Jacques Sernas is a Lithuanian-born French actor with an international film career.-Early life and education:He was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, the son of Jokūbas Šernas, a signatory of the 1918 Act of Independence of Lithuania, who died when Sernas was a year old. His mother took him to Paris,...
(Cursias)
Ornella Vanoni
Ornella Vanoni
Ornella Vanoni, OMRI is one of the most credited pop singers of Italy. She is known for her sophisticated pop style.-Artistic career:...
(Tarpea)
Piero Lulli
Piero Lulli
Piero Lulli was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 111 films between 1942 and 1977. He was the brother of actor Folco Lulli.-Selected filmography:* Love Story * Vertigine d'amore...
(Sulpicius)
External links
- www.coolasscinema.com/.../romulus-remus-1961-review.html
- http://videowatchdog.blogspot.com/2007_04_29_archive.html