Swordsman of Siena (1962)
"La congiura dei dieci" (original title)

A Spanish overlord controls 16th-century Tuscany. He plans to marry into a prominent Italian family and hires an Englishman to serve as bodyguard for his less-than-eager fiancee. The ... See full summary »

Directors:

Baccio Bandini, Etienne Périer

Writers:

Anthony Marshall (novel), Michael Kanin (screenplay),

Stars:

Stewart Granger, Sylva Koscina, Christine Kaufmann

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stewart Granger	...	Thomas Stanswood
Sylva Koscina	...	Orietta Arconti
Christine Kaufmann	...	Serenella Arconti
Riccardo Garrone	...	Don Carlos
Alberto Lupo	...	Andrea Paresi
Marina Berti	...	Countess of Osta
Tullio Carminati	...	Father Giacomo
Claudio Gora	...	Leoni
Fanfulla
Giulio Marchetti	...	Carlos' servant
Carlo Rizzo	...	Gino
Ignazio Dolce	...	(as Ignazio Dolci)
Fausto Tozzi	...	Hugo
Tom Felleghy	...	Capitano spagnolo (as Tom Felleghi)
Antonio Ricci	...	Child

Storyline

A Spanish overlord controls 16th-century Tuscany. He plans to marry into a prominent Italian family and hires an Englishman to serve as bodyguard for his less-than-eager fiancee. The bodyguard finds his allegiance switching to the rebels who seek to overthrow the Spaniard, even as he finds himself drawn to the woman he's been hired to protect.

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Plot Keywords:

swashbuckler | evil man | adventurer | betrayal | based on novel

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Taglines:

Love in a Land of Treachery and Temptation!

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Genres:

Adventure | Romance

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Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

5 December 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Swordsman of Siena

Company Credits

Production Co:

Compagnia Cinematografica Montoro, Compagnie Internationale de Productions Cinématographiques (CIPRA), Monica Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Il Pallio

This fairly standard Italian swashbuckler is considerably enlivened by two factors: the presence of Stewart Granger, one of movie's great swordsmen who actually was a good swordsman -- only Basil Rathbone was better. The swordplay in this movie is very real -- although the casual moviegoer might not understand the seemingly motionless pointwork, it is very well shot.

The other high point of the movie is the horse race, the famous Pallio of Siena. Although the real Pallio is a bareback race, this version of it is shot very excitingly with some nice point of view shots and excellent stuntwork.

Although I viewed an excellent print, it was dubbed, and therefore a bit hard to judge most of the performances. The costumes are excellent and the result is a surprisingly good Italian potboiler.