The Slave (1962 film)
| The Slave | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Sergio Corbucci |
| Written by |
Adriano Bolzoni Bruno Corbucci Sergio Corbucci Giovanni Grimaldi |
| Starring | Steve Reeves |
| Music by | Piero Piccioni |
| Cinematography | Enzo Barboni |
| Edited by | Ruggero Mastroianni |
Release date | 1962 |
| Language | Italian |
Il figlio di Spartacus (internationally released as The Slave and The Son of Spartacus) is a 1962 Italian peplum film directed by Sergio Corbucci.[1]
Plot
In 48 B.C., twenty-five years after the revolt of Spartacus, the slave leader's newborn son Randus has grown to become a soldier in the Roman army. Stationed in the city of Alexandria, Egypt, Randus has been promoted to centurion by his commander, Gaius Julius Caesar, and is given an important task to accomplish; to travel to the city of Zeugma in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and learn of the secret plots planned out by the Roman governor of the eastern provinces, Marcus Licinius Crassus. Randus leaves Egypt on a war galley out to sea, accompanied by his decurion friend Lumonius, his Germanic servant Beroz, a Gallic officer named Vetius, and Vetius' sister Claudia.
Shortly after departing from Alexandria, Randus meets and befriends a young Egyptian slave-girl named Saida, who is owned by Vetius' sister Claudia. On a thick foggy night, the galley collides with a hidden reef and Saida is thrown overboard. Randus dives in to save Saida, but both are unable to get back to the ship as it sails away. The two are soon washed up onto a beach and decide to travel across the desert until they find a caravan that can provide them with water and supplies. They soon encounter a slave caravan guarded by a detachment of Lycian mercenaries, but are captured in the process. During the journey across the desert to the city of Zeugma, one of the slaves, an ex-gladiator named Gulbar immediately recognizes Randus as the son of Spartacus and Varinia after discovering an amulet around the Roman centurion's neck. Together, Randus and the slaves manage to free themselves from their captors and kill all of the Lycian soldiers. Before Randus' friends, Vetius and Lumonius arrive with some of Crassus' guards to rescue Randus, Gulbar tells Randus to find him and his slave army at the legendary "City of the Sun" before riding away into the desert.
Cast
- Steve Reeves as Randus
- Gianna Maria Canale as Claudia
- Claudio Gora as Crassus
- Jacques Sernas as Vetius
- Ombretta Colli as Saida
- Ivo Garrani as Julius Caesar
- Enzo Fiermonte as Gulbar
- Ahmed Ramzy as Murdok
- Franco Balducci as Beroz
- Roland Bartrop as Lumonius
- Renato Baldini as Verulus
- Giovanni Cianfriglia as Soldier
Production
The film was shot between Rome and Cairo.[2]
Reception
In his book Cinema Italiano - The Complete Guide From Classics To Cult, Howard Hughes describes the film as one of Steve Reeves' finest vehicles and as Corbucci's best peplum film.[2]