The Lion of Thebes (1964)

Good movie but grossly overrated

Brilliant and touching

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

If you thought the fall of Troy was the end of things for the beautiful Helen than this film The Lion Of Thebes will set you straight. Yvonne Furneaux as Helen is shipwrecked with one of King Menelaus's men the mighty Mark Forest soon to be known as the Lion Of Thebes because of his strength and courage.These two are no sooner arrived at Thebes in Egypt then they are hip deep in a struggle for palace power at the court of Pharoah Rameses.All I can say is that Helen finally gets a happy ever after ending in this rather poor Peplum film. I'd not be wasting any of my viewing time with this.

One of the approximately 300 Italian peplum (sword and sandals) films made between 1957 and 1965, Lion of Thebes is unusual for a number of reasons: one, there is actually something like a coherent story rather than a simple collection of "strongman set pieces"; two, there is actually a fair amount of dialogue, and the acting is rather better than usual--one almost has the impression that the muscleman (Aryan) cares about what is happening; three, the film is a little more ethically ambiguous than usual: the good woman (Helen) and the "bad" woman (Naïs) actually want the same thing; the "usurper" is actually the proper heir to the throne; the wicked counselor is evil, but actually wants to save Thebes from its weak and careless leader. Peplums tend to range from laughably bad to simply agonizingly bad--this one's actually okay.

This is another above-average peplum and one that's actually a follow-up to Ferroni's own THE Trojan HORSE (1961), since it follows the exploits of Helen Of Troy after the fall of that city; the earlier film had already had a sequel, THE AVENGER (1962), made by other hands but again featuring Steve Reeves in the role of Aeneas (who doesn't show up here)! Anyway, for an obviously low-budget spectacle (with flashback footage borrowed from HORSE), the film certainly looks good - courtesy of cinematographer Angelo Lotti, who later shot the Jess Franco masterpiece VENUS IN FURS (1968)! - while the plot is filled with amusing suspense trappings: secret passageways, dungeons, a duel to the death by a snake-infested fountain, intrigues, murders, a coveted treasure, a nick-of-time escape for the heroine - strapped to a stone slab - from being crushed to death by a descending massive piece of machinery, etc.The cast, too, is peppered with familiar faces: he-man hero Mark Forest (whose favorite role this was, according to the "DVD Drive-in" review of Trimark Home Video's 7-film set THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULES!) doesn't alter the expression of his face much during the course of the film but, at least, he fares better here than in the earlier laugh-fest GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON (1960); Yvonne Furneaux appears as Helen Of Troy and, given that the film is largely set in Egypt, I couldn't help being reminded of her role in the classic Hammer horror THE MUMMY (1959); Massimo Serato and Alberto Lupo provide a double dose of (sometimes) ripe villainy; and Rosalba Neri (yet again) as the current Pharaoh's jilted fiancée but who takes her rival Furneaux's defences, against usurper Serato, when Helen Of Troy is accused of murdering the Egyptian ruler - and suffers the consequences for her actions!

LION OF THEBES is the story of Aryan (Mark Forest), a bodyguard who has saved the life of Helen of Troy (a delicious portrayal by the ever-beautiful Yvonne Furneaux) as the Greeks sack the fabled city. Their flight leads them to the deserts of Egypt and finally to Thebes. There Pharoah Ramses goes mad for Helen and decides his intended bride (the wonderful Rosalba Neri) is no longer good enough for him. There is much court intrigue, an assassination, which naturally culminates in Helen being blamed for the whole mess. The true guilty parties attempt to put her to death but Aryan saves the day. This film could have used several hundred more extras but everything considered is not a bad peplum at all. Mark Forest considered this his best film and he certainly is good. The color is dazzling as are the lighting schemes and cinematography. These Italian sword and sandal epics are in serious need of re-evaluation because they certainly do not deserve the critical beatings they took in the Sixties. Worthy of a viewing by anyone who enjoys this genre.