Romulus and Remulus tells the story of the founding of the eternal city by the 2 conflicting brothers of the title.
The only familiar Spagie face is Piero Lulli, but the technical credits are full of SW personal. It’s basically the same bunch who also worked 2 years earlier on The Last Days of Pompeji:
Screenplay by Corbucci, Leone, Tessari, Ennio de Concini, Franco Rossetti, Luciano Martino (brother of Sergio) and also Adriano Bolzoni. DoP was Enzo Barboni with Stelvio Massi as operator, second unit by Franco Giraldi, score by Piero Piccioni, design by Giancarlo Simi, stunts by Benito Stefanelli.
This typical italian peplum is probably one of the best and also more entertaining as most of the longdrawn US ones. The story is of course simple, but not too simple, the dialogues are less pompous than usual and Corbucci’s assured directing is generally a pleasure. A fun film.
The film confirms my memories of the similar well made The Son of Spartacus (63). Both are much better than the Leone directed Pompeji, and also preferable to Leone’s official debut The Colossus of Rhodos (but I have to rewatch it).
And it’s also much, much better than Massacre at Grand Canyon, which would give prove to Corbucci, who claimed not to have directed very much of this film (which is an Alfredo Antonini film, as the credits also say).
Like that Romulus & Remus Movie too. There is a terrific Final with a fight between Tarzan (Gordon Scott) and Hercules (Steve Reeves).
I remember The Son of Spartacus was from time to time in German TV. The Son of Spartacus had some similiarities to the SW about Venegeance. As far as I can remember the story is set in North Africa and the roman Enemy (Crassus?) had some violent ideas to torture and kill his opponents.
Both movies are not masterpieces but entertaining. I think Corbucci’s Peplums are decent entertainment but good for us that he started to direct SW. It’s interesting that peplums were so popular at the end of the 50’s and beginning 60’s and then after the success of Fistful of Dollars this Sub-Genre was suddenly dead.
I think the peplums were already dead before the western craze started.
Leone said when he made FoD the italian film industry was in a crisis, there was something like a production stop, the studios were empty, and they sought desperately for a new commercial formula, which Leone gave them.
Also some of the big budget Hollywood productions like Anthony Mann’s The Fall of the Roman Empire had flopped.
Romulus and Remus was a great success in 61, but it seems in 64 the audience was tired of seeing too much of them.
Besides R&R was conceived by Leone, who then didn’t wanted to direct it himself, and instead gave it to Corbucci as a gratitude for doing the 2nd unit on Pompeji.
[quote=“Stanton, post:4, topic:1453”]This is btw another beautiful Koch release (Amaray in a cardboard box), which is now quite cheap (7,99 €) at Amazon.de.
Recommended to all Spaghetti heads[/quote]
I will have to view this soon. I bought the Koch release from xploited a couple of months ago.
Stanton is spot on, it is a beautiful looking package and film.
I find peplums a bit hard to take (even if they star my beloved Chelo) but I’ve managed to get through a few recently.
The best I’ve seen so far (because it is parodic in nature) is Hercules Conquers Atlantis. Reg Park is a lazy Hercules. Ettore Manni (his co-star) literally sleeps through a lot of the film.
Also recommended is Goliath and The Barbarians. Livio Lorenzon wants Chelo. Steve Reeves gets her. Bastardos!
Re Romulus and Remus: In interviews on the documentary Uomini Forte (Iron Men) it is stated that Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott HATED each other.
One of the interviewees (I think it was Mimmo Palmara but I’m not sure) says that Mario Brega disliked Scott too and tells a story about Brega getting into a fistfight with Scott over his less than professional abilities when engaging in stunt fighting. Scott left Brega all bruised and Brega took him to task, punching him out. Brega would boast that the “big man” (Scott) was now “pumping gas in America”.
@ Stanton
I thought you didn’t care much for the peplum genre. I was surprised to see your posts here.
Any others that you like (besides Hercules Conquers Atlantis)?
I bought it only because of Corbucci, and I would like to see also his other 2 peplums. And 3 more action films he made in his SW years. (The Man who Laughs 65; The Beast 74; and a thriller from 67; btw has anybody seen one of these?)
And I’m ready to rewatch The Colossus of Rhodos because of this other director (forgot his name, but it’s on the tip of my tongue).
I’ve seen a few in my youth when they were shown on TV. I didn’t liked most of them, cause they were too simple for my taste and therefore quickly bored me. The Last Days of Pompeji e.g. was a total disappointment, Colossus was better, more assured, but nevertheless still indifferent.
Corbucci’s The Son of Spartacus was the better one with good action scenes and generally competent enough directed.
The best director of peplums is without any doubt Vittorio Cottavavi, as his films have a visual beauty and atmosphere you hardly find in this genre.
[quote=“Stanton, post:6, topic:1453”]I bought it only because of Corbucci, and I would like to see also his other 2 peplums. And 3 more action films he made in his SW years. (The Man who Laughs 65; The Beast 74; and a thriller from 67; btw has anybody seen one of these?)
And I’m ready to rewatch The Colossus of Rhodos because of this other director (forgot his name, but it’s on the tip of my tongue).
I’ve seen a few in my youth when they were shown on TV. I didn’t liked most of them, cause they were too simple for my taste and therefore quickly bored me. The Last Days of Pompeji e.g. was a total disappointment, Colossus was better, more assured, but nevertheless still indifferent.
Corbucci’s The Son of Spartacus was the better one with good action scenes and generally competent enough directed.
The best director of peplums is without any doubt Vittorio Cottavavi, as his films have a visual beauty and atmosphere you hardly find in this genre.[/quote]
The Man Who Laughs? Did Corbucci do as remake of the Paul Leni silent film with Conrad Veidt?
Hey I don’t know if you have the version of Colossus of Rhodes with the commentary by Christopher Frayling but I found it quite good. Lots of info about not only peplums but Italian genre films as well.
There is one peplum with Guiliano Gemma and Director Tessari which wasn’t so bad (but funny): In German The Title was Kadmos, Tyrann von Theben in Italian: Arrivano i titani. The US release The Titans and the UK My Son, the Hero.
One peplum I appreciate is The 300 Spartans (1962) but it’s a US Movie.
Which one is the thriller of Corbucci? A biography about him would be interesting.
[quote=“Paco Roman, post:8, topic:1453”]There is one peplum with Guiliano Gemma and Director Tessari which wasn’t so bad (but funny): In German The Title was Kadmos, Tyrann von Theben in Italian: Arrivano i titani. The US release The Titans and the UK My Son, the Hero.
One peplum I appreciate is The 300 Spartans (1962) but it’s a US Movie.
Which one is the thriller of Corbucci? A biography about him would be interesting.[/quote]
“Kadmos, Tyrann von Theben” I loved it when I was a kid… it’s still good !
[quote=“Paco Roman, post:8, topic:1453”]There is one peplum with Guiliano Gemma and Director Tessari which wasn’t so bad (but funny): In German The Title was Kadmos, Tyrann von Theben in Italian: Arrivano i titani. The US release The Titans and the UK My Son, the Hero.
One peplum I appreciate is The 300 Spartans (1962) but it’s a US Movie.
Which one is the thriller of Corbucci? A biography about him would be interesting.[/quote]
I’ve heard of this one. I think the tiltle I know it by is Sons of Thunder. This one is unavailable (I think) in the US. I like Gemma & Tessari so this sounds like a must see for a Spaghetti fan.
I saw 300 Spartans about 300 years ago. I remember nothing about it.
[quote=“Stanton, post:6, topic:1453”]I bought it only because of Corbucci, and I would like to see also his other 2 peplums. And 3 more action films he made in his SW years. (The Man who Laughs 65; The Beast 74; and a thriller from 67; btw has anybody seen one of these?)
And I’m ready to rewatch The Colossus of Rhodos because of this other director (forgot his name, but it’s on the tip of my tongue).
I’ve seen a few in my youth when they were shown on TV. I didn’t liked most of them, cause they were too simple for my taste and therefore quickly bored me. The Last Days of Pompeji e.g. was a total disappointment, Colossus was better, more assured, but nevertheless still indifferent.
Corbucci’s The Son of Spartacus was the better one with good action scenes and generally competent enough directed.
The best director of peplums is without any doubt Vittorio Cottavavi, as his films have a visual beauty and atmosphere you hardly find in this genre.[/quote]
Well i’ve seen Man Who Laughs several times as they keep showing it on TCM here in the UK. It’s pretty good. Might tape it next time.
[quote=“Romaine Fielding, post:7, topic:1453”]The Man Who Laughs? Did Corbucci do as remake of the Paul Leni silent film with Conrad Veidt?
Hey I don’t know if you have the version of Colossus of Rhodes with the commentary by Christopher Frayling but I found it quite good. Lots of info about not only peplums but Italian genre films as well.[/quote]
Frayling’s commentary is probably interesting, but I will try to get the uncut german 2DVD. But for now it’s too expensive.
The Man Who Laughs is surely not a remake of the silent classic. It’s, what do you call them, a cloak and dagger film (Mantel und Degen Film). In germany waas titled The Man With the Golden Blade, and a critic called it a SW in disguise.
I did a review here on my site for ROMULUS & REMUS with lots of pics. Great movie, one of the best of the peplum/fusto genre…
I’ve got a dozen reviews for sword & sandal flicks here. They can be seen by clicking the title or by clicking either volume 1 and 2 with six reviews each. First volume is here…
second volume here…
Also, there’s this article I wrote on the genre which I have a lot more additions to add soon…
I’ve loved the genre since childhood. I especially like the ones that utilize historical, or actual pieces of mythology in the scripts. The women are very hot, too. I don’t really buy into the whole homosexual overtones supposedly prevalent in the movies. I don’t think they wore jeans and t shirts back then.
There is a terrific Final with a fight between Tarzan (Gordon Scott) and Hercules (Steve Reeves). 
