Romolo e Remo (1961)

It was immediately after the release of Spartacus (1960) that this epic Italian feature went into production. Known in the US primarily under the title "Duel of the Titans", it is, to date, the only film that has ever been made about the Romulus and Remus legend.

And a rather enjoyable telling it is. Steve Reeves (of Hercules fame) stars opposite fellow bodybuilder-turned-actor Gordon Scott (of Tarzan fame) as the titular brothers. At the time, Reeves was probably the biggest star of European cinema, but it is Scott who really sticks in the mind due to his superior abilities as an actor. Though, to be fair to him, Reeves does appear to have the more impressively bulging biceps.

Originally, the studio wanted Steve Reeves to play both brothers in a dual-role. However, it was Reeves himself who suggested Scott to play opposite him. It was a good move, certainly, and I don't doubt that the central conflict of the film would have had far less resonance had Reeves played his own twin.

The other noteable in the movie is sexy blonde Virna Lisa, who plays the love interest which serves to drive a further wedge between the two brothers (the primary wedge being the blind ambition of Remus). In the years which followed, Lisa went on to play in high-profile Hollywood romantic comedies opposite the likes of Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Frank Sinatra, and her career flourished for many decades beyond.

The same cannot be said for Reeves and Scott, both of whom retired at around the time the Spaghetti western emerged, and interest in sweaty men in loincloths began to wane.

Historical accuracy is not much of a concern, given that the story is itself a legend. The script does, however, avoid direct reference to the supernatural, in keeping with the other historical pepla of the time. The explicit presence of Gods and monsters was reserved only for those obviously fantastical movies such as the Hercules saga. Instead, we are treated to a bear-fighting sequence, a great deal of blade-on-blade action, as well as the obligatory volcanic thrills.

None of this bears much direct relation to the original ancient legend of Romulus and Remus, of which there are a number of different versions. The opening sequence, and the inevitable climax, are the only elements that really stay true to the source material. The movie takes us on a journey all of its own, and an enjoyable adventure is had by all who partake.

It's clear that the makers of this movie had spend a great deal of time watching Spartacus. From the costume and set design down to the scale and the style of storytelling, there are certain sequences which could easily have been transplanted direct from Kubrick's famed Roman epic. The biggest difference between the two movies, naturally, is that people have heard of Spartacus.

This fact is something of an injustice; even the fantastically terrible B-movie fare of Hercules and the Captive Women are remembered more than these perfectly serviceable historical epics. Perhaps the problem is simply that they aren't good enough to be cinematic classics, nor are they bad enough to feature on MST3K.

Movies such as this are lost in the bottomless sea of mediocrity, from whence few souls have been recovered.