A
surprisingly good Peplum/Horror fusion from director Giuseppe Vari
director: Giuseppe Vari
starring John Drew Barrymore · Susy Andersen
· Ivano Staccioli · Ida
Galli (Evelyn Stewart) · Mino Doro
In a remote
corner of the Roman Empire, rebels rise up against a troop of Roman soldiers
and steal their gold. The senate in Rome appoints centurion Gaius to investigate.
He finds that the Sarmatian governor is corrupt and has formed an alliance
with devil cult leader Aderbad (John Drew Barrymore), a voodoo magician
who has developed a sinister technique of reanimating dead Roman soldiers
into an army.
This is a surprisingly good Peplum/Horror fusion from workhorse director
Giuseppe Vari, former editor to Federico Fellini, who often used the 'Joseph
Warren' alias (especially for his later Spaghetti Westerns and the Laura
Gemser film SISTER
EMANUELLE). After 25 years in the business, Mr Vari died from
a stroke at age 77, October 1993.
One of the
best things about this film is John Drew Barrymore. His character is inspired
beyond (or maybe because of) whatever personal demons possessed him at
the time. The troubled son of movie star John Barrymore decided to follow
in his father's footsteps in the early '50s despite his volatile personality
and alcohol dependency. He found success with a few motion pictures (i.e.,
While the City Sleeps and Never Love A Stranger) and then
began work on television projects. His erratic behavior became legendary,
sometimes he would disappear from the set for days and often would fight
with the producers over insignificant details. One such argument with
Desi Arnaz during the shoot for Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
(in 1959) resulted in Barrymore getting blacklisted in Hollywood. He
relocated to Italy where he slowly began to rebuild his career. Unfortunately,
John also discovered drugs and that slowed down his comeback. However,
despite believing this role was beneath his dignity, John Drew Barrymore
latched a hold and gave the performance of a lifetime. It would be his
final theatrical movie. After this film, he returned to Los Angeles for
more TV work [he notoriously disappeared from the set during a Star
Trek shoot and was written out of the episode] until his death
at age 72 in November 2004. Actress Drew Barrymore is his daughter.
An
Italian production in English language; widescreen format (16:9), (82
minutes), DVD encoded for ALL REGION NTSC WORLD FORMAT; extras include
original theatrical trailer.
