Duel of the Titans (1961)
Director:
Sergio Corbucci
Writers:
Adriano Bolzoni (dialogue), Sergio Corbucci (dialogue) , Ennio De Concini, Franco Rossetti, Duccio Tessari, Sergio LeoneStars:
Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, Virna Lisi, Franco Volpi, Laura Solari
Also known as Romulus And Remuss, it takes place on two different levels at once. The legendary brothers Romulus and Remus go at it to see who will ultimately survive and found the city of Caesars. And the slightly less legendary but still impressive Steve Reeves (Romulus) and Gordon Scott (Remus) are brought into a kind of body-building competition. Romulus and Remus are shown from their earliest beginnings as abandoned babes on the Tiber River, destined to face all sorts of challenges. First come their adventures after they are adopted by a female wolf as her own offspring. Then they later handle catastrophes like an erupting volcano or hand-to-paw combat with an irate bear. Once the two brothers have reached adulthood, they become enemies, as Remus seeks to aggrandize his power and Romulus seeks to cut him down to size.
The producers originally wanted Steve Reeves to play both Romulus and Remus, but he declined to do double roles and recommended former Tarzan Gordon Scott. Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott may not have shared a birthday, but they were both born in the same year - 1926. For its U.S. release, Paramount changed the title to the more dynamic sounding "Duel of the Titans." There was also the concern that most Americans would not know who Romulus and Remus were.
In the United States, most of the Italian produced sword and sandal/mythological muscle man movies were booked by exhibitors into their "B" theaters, usually as part of a double feature. With the teaming of both Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott, Paramount was able to get this booked into many "A" theaters as a single feature.
Region 0 (ALL), will play in any DVD player, English, 104 minutes, Eastmancolor
