Warrior Queen (1987)

Director:

Chuck Vincent

Writers:

Rick Marx (screenplay)
Harry Alan Towers (story)

Release Date:

January 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In ancient Pompeii, slaves are bought and sold for household chores and sex. A mysterious queen moves among the elite...

Plot Keywords:

Volcano | Lesbian Scene | Slavery | Historical | Pompei Italy

Cast

Sybil Danning	...	Berenice, Roman ambassador / Swordwoman
Donald Pleasence	...	Clodius Flaucus, ruler of Pompeii
Rick Hill	...	Marcus, the chariot warrior (as Richard Hill)
Josephine Jacqueline Jones	...	Chloe, the senior slave (as J.J. Jones)
Tally Chanel	...	Vespa, the new blonde slave
Samantha Fox	...	Philomena / Augusta, Clodius' wife (as Stasia Micula)
Suzanna Smith	...	Veneria, the experienced blonde slave
David Brandon	...	Victo, the eye-patch wearer (as David Haughton)
Mario Cruciani	...	Roberto, the 'pretty-boy' slave
Marco Tullio Cau	...	Goliath, the mean gladiator

Also Known As:

Pompeii (Italy) (working title)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

Italy | UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | UK:18 | USA:R | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Lightning Pictures Inc.

Movie Connections:

Features Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei (1959)

The film is dire but who cares with such a great video cover

Every male who was in his teens during the video-boom of the early 80's, must have some affection for the Barbarian/Roman epics which were in abundance. They just about skirted around the soft-porn self-embarrassment issue and could be nonchalantly given to the video shop assistant without too much shiftiness. It was an historical adventure film for the more mature viewer and the fact that this may include the occasional orgy scene, naked whipping, brothels and sumptuous exposed breasts was by the by.

'Warrior Queen' was released as the sub-genre was being replaced with mainstream films which could now get away with graphic simulated sex scenes - 'Fatal Attraction' was released the same year. No tarty business-woman could replace a statuesque, Amazon-like, 6-ft blonde, wielding a huge sword though.

The video cover for 'Warrior Queen' is almost certainly the film's highpoint, featuring a trio of muscular, tanned, bikini-clad beauties. Needless to say, the film itself is pretty crap - although there is just about enough going on to not feel completely cheated.

The film begins with a sub-title informing us that this is "Pompeii, August 22, 79 AD". Sybil Danning is a visiting Queen, entertained by Pompeii's ruler, a shambling Donald Pleasence who was presumably desperate for work. Along the way to the films inevitable conclusion (featuring lots of stock footage of a volcano doing its worst), we are treated to a pretty good slave auction scene; a rubbish arm-wrestling contest, complete with poisoned spikes; a gladiatorial duel featuring Goliath (a baddie, played by a big dumb Steve Reeves/Lou Ferrigno lookalike) against an opponent, both tied to pillars throwing discus's at each other; and a hang-tough contest played over a floor of wooden stakes.

Whilst not up to the standard of Sybil Danning's other Roman epic 'The Seven Magnificent Gladiators'-1983, 'Warrior Queen' provides enough nostalgia to give the viewer an entertaining hour or so of adolescent memories.