Gli schiavi più forti del mondo

I agree with Marek heartily.

Along with several dubbed European films from the mid 1960s, "Seven Slaves" made me a lover of the cosmopolitan cinema.

Actually, it was pretty good film. But then it is based, somewhat, upon Aeschylus.

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This movie was clearly made at the same time as La vendetta di Spartacus, by the same director using some of the same cast and locations. Both are rarely seen peplum films, at least in the US, but both have been issued on Italian DVD, cropped to 1.78:1 aspect ratio instead of original 2.35:1, but with brilliant color and optional Italian subtitles.

This movie is not quite as good as La vendetta di Spartacus, but it still displays some of the trademarks of director Michele Lupo, including amazing close-ups (especially of Gordon Mitchell with his brutal features and steel-blue eyes) and cinematic storytelling that mixes rousing melodrama (a slave uprising) and over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek fight scenes that go on and on (and on), here including a dwarf named Goliath (Arnaldo Fabrizio) for dubious comic effect.

The scene is a Roman aqueduct being built by slaves in the Syrian desert (probably using some impressive footage from the 1962 movie Ponzio Pilato). Thirst and water become recurring motifs. An early, powerful scene shows a brawny, bearded, and desperately thirsty slave trying to drink from a pool and being whipped and repeatedly dunked as punishment. A fight scene between two Roman commanders, Roger Browne and Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, ends with the loser dunked in the same pool. Later, there's a fight scene between Gordon Mitchell and another escaped slave that takes place under a waterfall and then continues as they hurtle downstream, still throwing punches. This movie is all about wet, muscular men whaling on each other.

Scilla Gabel was a scintillating presence in La vendetta di Spartacus, but here she has little more than an ornamental walk-on. This movie is all about the guys. Even Roger Browne gets bare-chested, which I've never seen him do before.

If you love peplums, this is a fun outing with some memorable scenes of action and punishment, and lots of wet fisticuffs.

Entertaining Peplum with the corpulent Gordon Mitchell and Roger Browne as intrepid as well as liberator heroes . Here Tribune Marcus (Roger Browne) flees from Rome where Nero pursues Christians , as he has been banished for his support the martyred Christians . As Marcus arrives in the city of Aristea and to take charge of an aqueduct project located on the far country , being built by mistreated and unjustly condemned slaves . There rules Gaius (Giacomo Rossi Stuart) who seeks vengeance when being replaced by Marcus . Gaius instigates a rebellion by his slave-workers , then accuses the situation on Marcus . After that , as retribution , several slaves are cruelly crucified . During the revolt , five (Alfio Caltabiano , Mario Novelli , Nello Pazzafini) muscular slaves getaway . Later on , they join forces with fellow escapee Balisten (Gordon Mitchell) , a farmer who has rescued the Tribune from the revolt . The six slaves , with Marcus's advice , scheme to battle for the freedom of the Aristea people and Marcus plans to clear his name and gain his freedom using their prowess as gladiator along with his partners . While , Marcus attempts to re-unite with his girlfriend newly arrived from Rome , Claudia (Scilla Gabel) , daughter of the general procurator (Carlo Tamberlani) who governs on these hot , arid fringes of the Empire . They are the six invincible who join forces with a band of rebels and uniting wills against the tyrants and traitors . Meantime , Gaius schemes to murder Marcus and thus hide the true reasons of the slave rebellion .

It's an adventure film with all the ingredients as sword-play , action , brawls , comedy , amusement , the typical confrontation between good guys against bad guys and resulting to be pretty entertaining . Brawls and fights both inside and outside the circus come swiftly paced and full of bounds , leaps , hits , punches , knock-outs and in Terence Hill/Spencer style . The film displays some impressive scenes about fights on arena with the magnificent gladiators masked in a wolf-head husk . The picture allows for periods of humor , -as the comic relief is frequently provided by the likable midget- and calm in which to establish characters punctuated by viscerally exciting bursts of action . It stars Roger Browne as the good-manners Tribune Marcus Aulus who has enlightened attitudes and out of favor in Rome because of his alleged sympathy for Christians , as well as Gordon Mitchell , both of them bare their chests . Roger was a likable but mediocre actor who starred some Euro-spy movies and Peplum such as : ¨Three Swords for Rome¨ , ¨The ten gladiators¨ , ¨Pontius Pilatos¨ , ¨Barrabás¨ , ¨Hercules and the Princess of Troy¨ and ¨Mars God of War¨ . And the bouncing Gordon Mitchell considered to be one of the best Peplum actors along with Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott . He-man Gordon was a hunk "beefcake" who made great number of roman epic films also called ¨Musclemen movies¨ . He was one of a number of bodybuilder and physique model types who followed muscleman Steve Reeves out to Italy in the early 60s and won campy notice playing Herculean characters in those campy Italian sand-and-spear epics . The steel-blue-eyes Mitchell proved a phenomenal hit and revived the "muscleman" genre , the non-Italian-speaking Mitchell headed off to Europe and began appearing in the same type of badly dubbed sandal-and-spear epics . He eventually became part of the "Muscle Beach" crowd and flexed his way into the entertainment field as part of Mae West's musclebound revues, where he toured everywhere from Las Vegas to the Latin Quarter with other "abs"normal actor wannabes such as Mickey Hargitay , Brad Harris and Reg Lewis . Ursus, Maciste , Goliath , Samson , Hércules , Atlas , Rocha ... those Italian Muscle man producers must have had a hard time figuring out what to call the musclebound actors who played all these legendary muscleman heroes . Being other second-class Muscle men players the followings : Dan Vadis , Rock Stevens , Samson Burke , Reg Park , Ed Fury , Richard Harrison , Kirk Morris , Alan Steel or Sergio Ciani and subsequently Lou Ferrigno . Nobody, nevertheless , topped Steve Reeves in popularity , though Gordon Scott , Mark Forest and Gordon Mitchell made him an important competence . Born-American Gordon Mitchell was the second American actor bodybuilder , after Steve Reeves , to be recruited by Italian producers to star in sword and sandal films . As Gordon played a lot of Peplum , and adventure movies , such as : ¨Il Gigant Di Metrópolis¨ , ¨Atlas in the land of cyclops¨ , ¨Fury of Achilles¨ , ¨Titan versus Vulcanus¨, ¨Hercules vs. the Sea Monster¨ , ¨The conqueror of Corinto¨ , ¨Sinbad Against the 7 Saracens¨ , among others . Costars other actors usually seen in Peplum and Spaghetti Western as the regular sword-master : Alfio Caltabiano , Carlo Tamberlani , Germano Longo , Mario Novelli , Nello Pazzafini ,and Giacomo Rossi Stuart as Centurion Gaius , a ruthless and corrupt Roman officer who resents when he is substituted .

"Seven Slaves Against the World" contains decent production design , brilliant photography , enjoyable soundtrack and amusing action scenes . Including evocative and atmospheric musical score by Francesco De Massi . Besides , a colorful and shining cinematography by Mancori . The motion picture was well directed by Michele Lupo who directed all kinds of genres . As Lupo made Peplum as ¨The Strongest slaves¨ , ¨La vendetta Di Spartacus¨ both of them made at the same time , ¨Seven rebel gladiators¨ ; Westerns as ¨Fistful of knuckles¨ , ¨California¨ , ¨Arizona Colt¨ and Bud Spencer movies as ¨The sheriff and the little extraterrestrial¨ , ¨Bombardero¨ and ¨Buddy goes West¨

This is a fine example of Italian movie garbage. Nothing about this movie is worth seeing, not even once! The plot is non-existent, the actors are no actors at all and the sets succeed to be only unconvincing. We have this well to do Roman citizen who is attacked by soldiers for no apparent reason. He is enslaved and put to work in the mines. There are these five slaves and this soldier who join forces with him and soon they raise hell in the city. Somewhere, no one knows exactly were, a woman enters the story - naturally, the obligatoray love story in every Italian movie. In the 1960's movies of this genre were produced in Italy as spaghetti. This is a perfect of example of how low one can get. DESTROY IT!!!

Going to Saturday morning pictures in the UK was a great way to spend the weekend . From the age of 7 I went to the Regal in Hammersmith, London and saw series, cartoons and feature films like this. As far as I was concerned, as a 9 year old, this was the ultimate in film entertainment. Exciting, other worldly and exotic , I confidently stated it to be my favourite film at my interview for senior school at age 10.

Of course I realise, nearly 30 years on, it is unlikely to be anything other than undiluted tat of the first order but now I am a mature, urbane, sophisticate and then I was a wide eyed youngster prepared to believe that 7 slaves could take on Rome and heroically put the enemies of Christianity to the sword.

It made me love the cinema and for that I am grateful.

I remember the title as "Seven Slaves Against Rome".