Damon and Pythias (1962)
"Il tiranno di Siracusa" (original title)

Pythias, a liberal Athenian who believes all men are brothers, is condemned to death by Dionysus, the tyrant of Syracuse, who finds this view dangerous. However, Dionysus allows Pythias to ... See full summary »

Director:

Curtis Bernhardt

Writers:

Samuel Marx (story), Samuel Marx (screenplay),

Stars:

Guy Williams, Don Burnett, Ilaria Occhini

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Guy Williams	...	Damon
Don Burnett	...	Pythias
Ilaria Occhini	...	Nerissa
Liana Orfei	...	Adriana
Marina Berti	...	Mereka - Nerissa's Friend
Arnoldo Foà	...	Dionysius the Tyrant
Carlo Giustini	...	Cariso
Aldo Silvani	...	Patriarch
Andrea Bosic	...	Arcanos
Maurizio Baldoni	...	Dionysius the Younger
Franco Fantasia	...	Rumius the Fencing Master
Osvaldo Ruggieri	...	Demetrius - Nerissa's Brother
Lawrence Montaigne	...	Flute Player
Enrico Glori	...	Nikos
Gianni Bonagura	...	Phylemon

Storyline

Pythias, a liberal Athenian who believes all men are brothers, is condemned to death by Dionysus, the tyrant of Syracuse, who finds this view dangerous. However, Dionysus allows Pythias to return to Athens to visit his ailing wife with the understanding he will then come back to face his punishment. Damon, a friend of Pythias, volunteers to be a hostage to guarantee Pythias's return. Dionysius doesn't expect Pythias to keep his end of the bargain, thus exposing the falsity of his beliefs, but Pythias proves to be a man of his word.

---

Plot Keywords:

dionysus | tyrant | friend | horse jumping | flute player | 

---

Taglines:

World-famed story of friendship and fury!

---

Genres:

Adventure

---

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Damon and Pythias

Filming Locations:

Baths of Caracalla, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

International Motion Picture Enterprises, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor) Color (Technicolor)

User Reviews

Too good for its own good

While it looks like just another of those "sword and sandal" movies from the 1960s, this one has ambitions. Too bad. Instead of being a snappy, unpretentious piece of entertainment with beefcakey guys and bosomy babes racing their way through an action-filled plot, we get a long, slow, deliberate, almost thoughtful re-telling of the Damon and Pythias myth. Strange, you don't think you're going to miss the fire-breathing monster and the scantily-clad virgin chained to a rock and the bare-chested hero stretched between two chariots, but darn it, when these ingredients aren't present, you miss them!

The problems probably began with the choice of director, Curtis Bernhardt. He was fine for MGM's women's pictures such as "Beau Brummell" and "Interrupted Melody," but he's not well suited to this kind of material. Guy Williams isn't the right choice to play Damon, either. He's supposed to be one of those lovable rogue types such as Burt Lancaster or even Kirk Douglas used to play, but he just can't bring this off.

Don Burnett does better as Pythias. He plays the quiet, serious one and though the "mismatched buddies" formula usually works, it stumbles here because there simply isn't much chemistry between the two leads. And, curiously enough, neither of the two men gets to take his shirt off, not even in the climactic scene in which Damon is bound to a pillar for his impending execution. What's a sword-and-sandal movie without a generous helping of pecs?