Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

The Executioner of Venice

Original title: Il boia di Venezia
  • 1963
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
239
YOUR RATING
Lex Barker in The Executioner of Venice (1963)
AdventureDramaHistory

In Venice,during the Inquisition,Sandrigo Bembo,the son of the Doge Giovanni Bembo,is falsely accused of treason out of pure malice by the Grand Inquisitor Rodrigo Zeno.In Venice,during the Inquisition,Sandrigo Bembo,the son of the Doge Giovanni Bembo,is falsely accused of treason out of pure malice by the Grand Inquisitor Rodrigo Zeno.In Venice,during the Inquisition,Sandrigo Bembo,the son of the Doge Giovanni Bembo,is falsely accused of treason out of pure malice by the Grand Inquisitor Rodrigo Zeno.

  • Director
    • Luigi Capuano
  • Writers
    • Luigi Capuano
    • Arpad DeRiso
    • Ottavio Poggi
  • Stars
    • Lex Barker
    • Guy Madison
    • Alessandra Panaro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.5/10
    239
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Luigi Capuano
    • Writers
      • Luigi Capuano
      • Arpad DeRiso
      • Ottavio Poggi
    • Stars
      • Lex Barker
      • Guy Madison
      • Alessandra Panaro
    • 9User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos19

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 14
    View Poster

    Top cast17

    Edit
    Lex Barker
    Lex Barker
    • Sandrigo Bembo
    Guy Madison
    Guy Madison
    • Rodrigo Zeno
    Alessandra Panaro
    Alessandra Panaro
    • Leonora Danin
    Mario Petri
    Mario Petri
    • Boia Guarnieri
    Alberto Farnese
    Alberto Farnese
    • Michele Arcà
    Giulio Marchetti
    • Bartolo
    Feodor Chaliapin Jr.
    Feodor Chaliapin Jr.
    • Doge Giovanni Bembo
    Franco Fantasia
    • Pietro
    Raf Baldassarre
    Raf Baldassarre
    • Messere Grimani
    Mirella Roxy
    • Smeralda
    Marija Tocinoski
    John Bartha
    John Bartha
    • Messere Leonardo
    • (as Gianni Barta)
    Attilio Severini
    • Menego Zanin
    Giulio Maculani
    Giuliana Farnese
    • Marta
    • (as Farnese Poggi Giuliana)
    Romano Giomini
    Bruno Ariè
    • Nobleman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Luigi Capuano
    • Writers
      • Luigi Capuano
      • Arpad DeRiso
      • Ottavio Poggi
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews9

    5.5239
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    6ma-cortes

    Great epic plenty of action and adventure with glamorous gowns and luxurious sets from Venice

    Exciting story of love and adventure , the complete romance and the historical events about the Venetian council of Dux . It is packed with derring-do , intrigue , a love story , action , drama and moving swordplay . This is a fast moving, colorful adventure which benefits from its Venetian setting . As an evil grand inquisitor called Rodrigo Zeno (Guy Madison) attempts to condemn his enemy, the main Doge of Venice named Giovanni Bembo (Feodor Chaliapin Jr.) and his son Sandrigo Bembo (Lex Barker) . The evil Inquisitor unites forces with a traitor called Michele Arcà (Alberto Farnese). Meanwhile , our hero Sandrigo attempts to marry his bride named Leonora Danin (Alessandra Panaro) . Leonora is a golden-haired beauty entangled in a web of treachery and intrigue . The picture was partially based on historical ¨Dux¨ derived from Latin dūx, "military leader" , sometimes translated as Duke . Doges were the chief magistrates and leaders of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the man selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city. The doge was not a duke in the modern sense, nor was a doge the equivalent of a hereditary duke. The "doge" was the senior-most elected official of Venice and Genoa; both cities were republics and elected doges .

    This is an entertaining swashbuckling, full of action, thrills ,romance , double-crosses and of course , a lot of fence . It is something quite diverse from the ordinary adventure scenery : hardly open sea , different boats , the gondolieri , the spectacular designs palaces and bridges . It's Lex Barker against Guy Madison and a strange pirate posing as an executioner well played by Mario Petri . In this set in the end of middle ages , next to the Italian Rennaisance period. Lavish production by Octavio Poggi with excellent gowns , evocative sets , right cinematography and powerful score . Lots of court intrigue , treason, twists and turns . The picture contains rousing action, intrigue , romantic adventure , mayhem and a fine cast doing a fine job . Sympathetic performances by main star cast and enjoyable secondary cast , as the marvelous main actors are completed by stellar cast full of classical and veteran players as Mario Petri as Boia Guarnieri , Alberto Farnese as Michele Arcà, Giulio Marchetti as Bartolo , Feodor Chaliapin Jr. as Doge Giovanni Bembo , Franco Fantasia as Pietro and Raf Baldassarre as Messere Grimani . Splendid color from 16mm by Sandro Mancori and imaginative as well as thrilling soundtrack by Carlo Rustichelli . Lush production design is well showed on the luxurious interiors and exteriors filmed on location in Venice .

    The motion picture was professionally directed by Luigi Capuano . He was a good craftsman who directed all kind of genres , and especially adventure movie . Capuano directed Spaghetti Western such as "Il Magnifico Texano" , Peplum as ¨Revenge of Ursus¨ ,"Revenge of the Gladiators" , "Hercules and the Black Pirates" and of course Adventures such as "Zorro in the Court of Spain" , "Zorro, Rider of Vengeance" , ¨Zorro and three musketeers¨ ,"Tiger of the Seven Seas" , ¨leopard of Sarawak¨ , ¨Vengeance of Sandokan¨ , "Terror of the Red Mask" also starred by Lex Barker and "The Lion of St. Mark" also set in Venice and similar period .
    9django-1

    excellent Italian dubbed historical adventure with Lex Barker pitted against Guy Madison

    If you do not like low-budget, early 60s dubbed Italian costumed historical adventures, you won't like this one either. However, for fans of the genre, THE EXECUTIONER OF VENICE is top-notch entertainment with nice Venetian settings, lots of court intrigue and duplicity, and two of the finest American expatriate actors in 60s eurocinema--Lex Barker as the hero, Sandrigo Bembo, adopted son of the Doge of Venice, and Guy Madison as the tracherous grand inquisitor, Rodrigo Zeno. Director Luigi Capuano specialized in this sort of adventure in the early 60s, working with Barker in 1960s TERROR OF THE RED MASK, and after this film, making four films with Guy Madison. Just prior to this one, he made two with Gordon Scott--MASK OF THE MUSKETEERS and LION OF ST. MARK--that I recommend to fans of the genre. No great analysis is needed of THE EXECUTIONER OF VENICE. It's just a well-mounted but economical historical swashbuckler and the only European film where Barker and Madison are paired as equals. Regrettably, this copy is pan & scan, so some dramatic scenes between Madison and Barker feature Madison talking to an offscreen presence and the interesting set design is not as easy to appreciate as it should be, but until someone releases this in widescreen, it's worth searching out. The climax and ending are quite satisfying, the supporting cast is memorable (Mario Petri as the executioner whose story is quite complex, and Feodor Chaliapin Jr. as the aging, infirm, but sympathetic Doge of Venice), and it's great to see Madison as a pure manipulative villian with no redeeming values or tragic backstory. Barker looks great and must have been complimented that the role he is playing is that of a man at least a decade younger than Barker himself!
    9clanciai

    Love and death, romance, pirates, parties and intrigues galore in Venice 1654

    This is a great intrigue like from some of the great 19th century operas by the Italian masters, like Verdi and Ponchielli. The first scene introduces the two protagonists, father and son, without their knowing it, in a contest of force, where they have to axe a log, - who cuts the deepest is the winner. The father (Mario Petri) is the official executioner of Venice, a former pirate, and his son has been brought up by the doge (Feodor Chaliapin Jr!) as his own princely son, never suspecting his adoption. The crook of the play is the grand inquisitor (Guy Madison, slightly too handsome for the credibility of a grand inquisitor,) who is jealous of the doge's son who has won the heart of the beauty they both desire, Alessandra Panaro, and he finds out that he is actually the executioner's son. His intrigue amounts to the desired effect to have the executioner execute his own son to let the grand inquisitor acquire the bride, but you can't conceal the truth forever. An important supporting character is Giulio Marchetti as Sandrigo Bembo's (Lex Barker) blind mentor, who sees more than everyone else. To all this luxury of great action, dazzling adventure, flamboyant romanticism and all the magnificent beauty of Venice in a nutshell, is the splendid score by Carlo Rustichelli added, which aptly illustrates everything.
    5lotekguy-1

    The Good, the Bad, and the Just Plain Weird

    This movie tries to buckle the swash of the type of action costume drama that Errol Flynn, Burt Lancaster or Tyrone Power would headline for a Hollywood studio. For a product of the Spaghetti Western factories and their relatively limited budgets, the spectacle here is exceptional for sets, costumes and cast size. The big group clashes are well-staged, with clanging swords aplenty. And the whole thing comes in a tight 90-minute package, resisting the temptation to drag things out just because of how much they spent to create a lush Venice of yesteryear.

    The bad is that Lex is a charisma-impaired hero compared to the aforementioned stars. He looks handsome and hunky enough, but his panache is pallid. Also, the script is about as paint-by-numbers as they come, including the seminal moment that turns the tide for the good guys. Don't watch this for a new experience. It can only satisfy as another bit of time spent in pleasantly familiar territory.

    The weird - Anyone who grew up with Guy Madison as Wild Bill Hickock, or saw him as a hero in most of his other films will have some emotional whiplash watching him play this Machiavellian weasel. Even more unsettling in the English dubbed version is the wimpy, reedy voice used for him. Madison's voice was rich and resonant, making the dissonance even more distracting than the anti-type casting. If'n that don't bother you none, you might like this one more than I could.
    6coltras35

    Executioner of Venice

    In Venice,during the Inquisition,Sandrigo Bembo,the son of the Doge Giovanni Bembo,is falsely accused of treason out of pure malice by the Grand Inquisitor Rodrigo Zeno.

    The villain here is Guy Madison, who is really good as the villain. He schemes and schemes so he can get the fiancee of Lex Barker's character. Lex Barker is in good swashbuckling form, though most of the sword play comes in the last thirty minutes. The first hour mainly consists of court intrigue and schemes. It's a fairly standard Italian costumer but a good villain, swordplay, an interesting lost son and father twist as well as the great Venice locales makes this quite watchable.

    More like this

    4.5
    The Immoral Mr. Phillips
    The Great Sioux Massacre
    5.1
    The Great Sioux Massacre
    Kyûba no koibito
    6.8
    Kyûba no koibito
    Il brigante di Tacca del Lupo
    6.8
    Il brigante di Tacca del Lupo
    The Down-in-the-Hole Gang
    6.2
    The Down-in-the-Hole Gang
    Old Shatterhand
    6.1
    Old Shatterhand
    Seizure
    4.7
    Seizure
    Les Menteurs
    5.8
    Les Menteurs
    Sergeants 3
    5.9
    Sergeants 3
    A Night Full of Rain
    5.9
    A Night Full of Rain
    Pehavý Max a strasidlá
    7.3
    Pehavý Max a strasidlá
    The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism
    5.8
    The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism

    Storyline

    Edit

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 20, 1963 (Italy)
    • Country of origin
      • Italy
    • Language
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • Der Henker von Venedig
    • Filming locations
      • Venice, Veneto, Italy
    • Production company
      • Liber Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Lex Barker in The Executioner of Venice (1963)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Executioner of Venice (1963) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.