The Avenger (1962)

Aeneas leads escapees from the Trojan war to new land in Italy, and must deal with new threats to his people.

Director:

Giorgio Venturini (as Giorgio Rivalta)

Writers:

Publius Vergilius Maro (epic poem: "Aeneis"), Albert Band (adaptation)

Stars:

Steve Reeves, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Carla Marlier

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Steve Reeves	...	Enea / Aeneas
Giacomo Rossi Stuart	...	Euryalus (as Giacomo Rossi-Stuart)
Carla Marlier	...	Lavinia, Latino's Daughter
Mario Ferrari	...	Latino - King of Latium
Enzo Fiermonte	...	Acate
Gianni Garko	...	Turno, King of the Rutuli
Liana Orfei	...	Camilla - Queen of the Volsci
Nerio Bernardi	...	Drance
Robert Bettoni	...	Pallante
Maurice Poli	...	Mezensio, Turno's Henchman
Lulla Selli	...	Amata - Latino's Wife
Pietro Capanna	...	Bisia
Benito Stefanelli	...	Nisius, Euryalus' Friend
Adriano Vitale	...	Dancer: Hunter
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Augusto Terzoni	...	Dancer: Deer (unconfirmed)

Storyline

Aeneas leads escapees from the Trojan war to new land in Italy, and must deal with new threats to his people.

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Plot Keywords:

frame up | psychotronic film | bare chested | muscles | bodybuilder | 

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Taglines:

His mighty sword avenged a nation!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Details

Country:

Italy France Yugoslavia

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

June 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Avenger

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mercury Films, La Société des Films Sirius, Compagnie Industrielle et Commerciale Cinématographique (CICC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min (Retromedia DVD edition) 90 min (Retromedia DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Italian censorship visa #38951 issued November 27, 1962.

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Goofs

Early in the movie, an army is seen passing by a maize field; this plant, however, was cultivated in Europe only since 1525, having been brought to the continent by Christopher Columbus.

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Crazy Credits

Co-screenwriter Albert Band is the sole credited director on English language versions of the film.

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Connections

Featured in Kolossal - i magnifici Macisti (1977)

User Reviews

One of the better Peplums

I saw "The Trojan Horse" a few months ago, the version starring Steve Reeves and I enjoyed it. It's one of the best Sword & Sandals. I thought it was more successful than Robert Wise's HELEN OF TROY or the recent bloated version starring Brad Pitt, which is best forgotten. Wise's HELEN OF TROY is a sharply directed film that's hampered by a lack luster script and a freadfully dull ending. After enjoying the Steve Reeves version of the famous Greek story, I was ready to watch the sequel, "The War of the Trojans".

Though another Steve Reeves film like GOLIATH & THE BARBARIANS might be more entertaining to most viewers, the cheese factor keeps it from being a great film. Well this isn't the case with "The War of the Trojans". The cheese factor is very low and the direction is taught and tight. The story is somewhat predictable, certainly for someone who recently watched something like 75 S&S films in a few months but even the familiar storyline wasn't enough to diminish the film's impact.

The story continues right after the excellent "The Trojan Horse", when the fleeing people of Troy arrive in Italy and try to settle there. Problems arise when the King of a nearby Kingdom grants the people of Troy the right to live near the Tiber river. In-fighting within the Kingdom, lead by Turno, who sees the Trojans as a threat, creates a scheme to make the Trojans look evil. A war between the Trojans and the Kingdom erupts. Losing the battle, the Trojans, lead by Aeneas (played by the legendary Steve Reeves), become allies with the Etruscans, the sworn enemies of the Kingdom. The neverending battle causes a lot of deaths and casualties on both sides. Desperate to end the war, both sides agree to settle the war with a duel between Aeneas and Turno.

The beginning is talky but it's worth staying on for what's to come. Here's a short list of memorable scenes: when Aeneas sees the mural which recounts the battle of Troy, with flashbacks from "The Trojan Horse". For once, flashbacks from another movie actually work here; the archery duel; the scene with the wild boars; the killing of Eurialo; the duel at the end.

The cast is surprisingly good, with memorable characterization by the Queen and King Turno. The Queen is unforgettable, whoever played her. And King Turno is well played by Gianni Garko. Fans of SPACE 1999 will recognize Garko, who was Toni Cellini in the famous DRAGON'S DOMAIN episode. The only really weak part of the cast is Camilla, the young Amazonian woman. The purpose of her character is interesting but her dated hairstyle and appearance are the only incongruous elements in the film. The sets look real. Yes, it's not as spectacular and elaborate as "The Trojan Horse" but it doesn't need big moments to demonstrate the struggle of the displaced Trojan people which lead to the creation of Rome. And the score is excellent, one of the best I've heard in a Peplum. But the thing that tie all this beautifully together is the mature and assured direction. The compositions and constant smooth tracking shots give the film a greater professional look/feel than most films of the genre, which are often described static. Many moments could have easily turned into typical Peplum camp or silliness but here they were sharply set-up, creating tense or genuine emotional moments up to end. And one feels they actually learned something about history too. The film is believable too, which is no mean feat for a Sword & Sandal film.

I've watched many S&S films recently and this one stands out from the pack. It's clearly overlooked. People must have had Peplum fatigue back then for this film to be forgotten as it is now.

"The Trojan Horse" and "War of the Trojans" make an excellent double bill, for fans of Steve Reeves but history buffs as well.