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

Director:

Curtis Bernhardt

Writers:

Samuel Marx (story)
Samuel Marx (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

June 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure

Tagline:

World-famed story of friendship and fury!

Plot:

Pythias, a liberal Athenian who believes all men are brothers, is condemned to death by Dionysus, the tyrant of Syracuse...

Plot Keywords:

Dionysus | Tyrant | Friend | Horse Jumping | Flute Player

Cast

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
Vittorio Bonos	...	Digenis
Carlo Rizzo	...	Libia
Giovanna Maculani	...	Hermione
Enzo Fiermonte
Tiberio Mitri
Franco Ressel
Tiberio Murgia
Luigi Bonos
Maurizio Bedoni
Giovanni Bagliori
Carolyn De Fonseca	...	Chloe (as Carolyn Fonseca)
Carla Bonavera
Enrico Salvatore

Directed by
Curtis Bernhardt

Writing credits
Samuel Marx		(story)
Samuel Marx		(screenplay) &
Franco Riganti		(screenplay)
Paola Ojetti		(dialogue: Italian version) &
Franco Riganti		(dialogue: Italian version)
Bridget Boland		(dialogue: english version) &
Barry Oringer		(dialogue: english version)

Produced by
Sam Jaffe	....	associate producer
Samuel Marx	....	associate producer
Franco Riganti	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Angelo Francesco Lavagnino		(as A.F. Lavagnino)

Cinematography by
Aldo Tonti		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Niccolò Lazzari

Production Design by
Alberto Boccianti

Set Decoration by
Ennio Michettoni

Costume Design by
Adriana Berselli

Makeup Department
Nilo Jacoponi	....	makeup artist
Rosa Luciani	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Giorgio Riganti	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alberto Cardone	....	assistant director

Art Department
Italo Tomassi	....	manager of art department (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Joseph Nathanson	....	matte shots

Camera and Electrical Department
Luigi Kuveiller	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Franco Ferrara	....	conductor: Orchestra Filarmonica Romana

Other crew
Franco Fantasia	....	fencing master

Production Companies

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

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Other Companies

• Casa d'Arte di Firenze  leather
• National Music, Milano  soundtrack (as Nazionalmusic)
• Orchestra Filarmonica di Roma  orchestra
• Westrex Recording System  sound equipment

Also Known As:

"Il tiranno di Siracusa" - Italy (original title)

Runtime:

USA:99 min | Italy:101 min

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor) | Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-8 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Baths of Caracalla, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

International Motion Picture Enterprises

DAMON AND PYTHIAS (Curtis Berhardt, 1962) **

Although I had heard of the titular historical characters – probably from a Greek mythology class I sat for in Secondary School – I had never read or seen their tale until now, via this rather lifeless and turgid peplum that was, until some time ago, a staple of TCM UK's schedule. The leads are likable enough as played by Guy Williams (from Disney's "Zorro" TV-series in his penultimate theatrical feature) and Don Burnett (also in his next-to-last film, he was a dead ringer for Rock Hudson but much less charismatic), their inevitable love interests are, respectively, attractive (Liana Orfei) and histrionic (Ilaria Occhini), while the villainous Tyrant of Syracuse (the film's original Italian title) was portrayed by a favorite Italian character actor who made his fair share of these things – Arnoldo Foa' who also speaks his own lines in serviceable English! Actually, the latter's belated introduction breathes new life into the film making the second half far more compelling as Greek Burnett defies his Sicilian enemies to prove that his Pythagorian creed of "The Brotherhood of Man" (perpetrated by persecuted philosopher Andrea Bosic) by replacing Sicilian thief Williams who has, uncharacteristically, exchanged places with Burnett on the executioner's block because of the latter's impending fatherhood! Therefore, it is rather unfortunate that, despite some interesting international credentials in the direction (German Bernhardt, who would curiously himself retire after making just one more film!) and screen writing (British playwright Bridget Boland and Hollywood veteran Samuel Marx) departments, DAMON AND PYTHIAS does not emerge a better movie in the long run – even when compared to most of the less-than-inspired product along the same lines being churned out by contemporary Italian B-grade film-makers.