Damon and Pythias (1962)

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.

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Plot Keywords:

dionysus | friend | tyrant | neopythagoreanism | 4th century b.c. | 

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Taglines:

World-famed story of friendship and fury!

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Genres:

Adventure

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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

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor) Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

While Pythagoreans themselves had extensive influence over Plato and later philosophical schools, the movement largely lost its coherence by the Hellenistic years. In the Roman era, the new movement of Neopythagoreanism placed more emphasis on mysticism, asceticism, and the "fundamental distinction between the soul and the body" than the original Pythagoreans.

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Connections

Follows Damon and Pythias (1914)

User Reviews

Very Slow Start

This ambitious "sword and sandal" film gives a retelling of the story of two men, Damon and Pythias, brought together despite their two very opposite personalities. Damon, played with some heart and pluck by Guy Williams, is a wastrel, a thief, and beloved by all the people that have like lives. He has, initially no love for things like honor or duty. Pythias, played decently by Don Burnett, is the epitome of the honorable Roman out to do what is right no matter what hardships lie ahead. Well, the two become friends and face a common foe - to spin a long story short. Damon and Pythias is not a bad film despite its sluggish opening pace. The director tries to give his characters depth though they really are never explored deeply because of the limitations of the two actors. Williams is always fun to watch, however. After the first two-thirds of the film, things start to heat up - but really not enough to recommend this film. It does at the very least have a message and is full of heart - not something one sees a lot in this genre. If you are looking for lots of fighting and supernatural beasts, look elsewhere!