An excellent print saves this film from being an ordinary sword and sandal adventure film, and while not quite an epic, it is a silly but enjoyable piece of historical fluff. I guess we can forgive the lack of facts being correct but take it as a representation of what the ancient Roman could have look like when it became a republic almost 300 years after Claudius prayed it would during the corrupt rule of his family. So for fans of "I Claudius", this is worth seeing as a view of the not quite utopian world not quite civilized yet of Claudius's dreams, but no longer ruled by mad emperors even if there still are some scheming women around.
With their men off fighting the Etruscans (another reference that "I Claudius" fans will appreciate), the women of Rome are at the mercy of Etruscan leader Jean Chevrier and his beautiful but scheming wife Nicole Courcel. When a troop of women in military gear (led by Sylvia Syms) are captured by Chevrier, Courcel takes pride in having Syms publicly whipped but is stopped by fellow Etruscan Louis Jourdan who has earlier escorted the captured Syms to their camp on his chariot.
This situation creates conflict between Jourdan and Courcel and threatens to bring down the Etruscan enemies, something Courcel, husband Chevrier and the other Etruscans don't want. A western like fortress is the only thing that stands in the way of the Roman women (who managed to escape) trying to protect what remains of their city, and they are facing a possible violent destruction as the Etruscans arrived.
This has a few great moments, but as often happens in films like this, being too serious makes it seem silly, and that's what weakens it. On the plus side, the beautiful print aides this greatly, although Jourdan might have just phoned his performance in. He really doesn't even have all that much screen time, something that obviously made him happy to just grab the check and go.
With their men off fighting the Etruscans (another reference that "I Claudius" fans will appreciate), the women of Rome are at the mercy of Etruscan leader Jean Chevrier and his beautiful but scheming wife Nicole Courcel. When a troop of women in military gear (led by Sylvia Syms) are captured by Chevrier, Courcel takes pride in having Syms publicly whipped but is stopped by fellow Etruscan Louis Jourdan who has earlier escorted the captured Syms to their camp on his chariot.
This situation creates conflict between Jourdan and Courcel and threatens to bring down the Etruscan enemies, something Courcel, husband Chevrier and the other Etruscans don't want. A western like fortress is the only thing that stands in the way of the Roman women (who managed to escape) trying to protect what remains of their city, and they are facing a possible violent destruction as the Etruscans arrived.
This has a few great moments, but as often happens in films like this, being too serious makes it seem silly, and that's what weakens it. On the plus side, the beautiful print aides this greatly, although Jourdan might have just phoned his performance in. He really doesn't even have all that much screen time, something that obviously made him happy to just grab the check and go.